Sports Medicine

[Dunames Lopez]

Even though the First Order podracing world has its eyes on Dunames in the upcoming podrace, with the Gyaban 788, Dunames had other reasons to be there on Luminoss: the construction of a luxury health spa. If all goes according to plan, the luxury health spa will feature a luxury hotel, training facilities, and, of course, some pharmacy and other healthcare facilities that allows the patrons to be rejuvenated and relaxed once their stay is over. Which means that a variety of items are necessary for its proper operation, as well as proper staffing: for one, physical therapists, occupational therapists, to name a few areas without which the health spa resort won't be one. She then whips out a datapad and sends out a holomessage to one of the prospective suppliers. While, of course, the Runinn-Zhanmud Health Spa Resort is in advanced stages of construction, it was premature to fish for suppliers of medical equipment at the early stages of construction.

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ATTN: [member="Antherion"]

Star Tours is proud to announce the construction of the Runinn-Zhanmud Health Spa Resort on Luminoss, for which an opportunity to gain a contract for supplying the health spa resort with pharmaceutical products can be seized. More details to be discussed either in person or over the HoloNet, whatever works for you.

Dunames Lopez
CEO, Star Tours

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[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion smiled, glancing down at his message after his datapad offered a slight ping. He had accrued a fair amount of debt in the loan he had taken out to create the company - from somewhere like the Banking Clans, that would mean he would need to worry about his credit rating. He had taken a grant from a Sith Lord, and failure to pay back would mean that the Lord of Hunger would take back what he had given to him in a much more... drastic fashion than called for. That being said, this was business. Antherion was a heartless, cold-minded Sith. Of course he could expect to be a natural.

Ms. Lopez —

Phosphor Biomedicals prides itself on providing quality products. Any preliminary questions can and will be answered over the holonet. I will be en route to Luminoss at the earliest convenience (will provide prior notice) to confirm and demonstration our dedication to excellence in service.

Cordially Yours,

Antherion
Executive Director, Phosphor Pharmaceuticals
Sith Empire, Sphere of Production and Logistics

He set his datapad on a nearby desk, reclining slightly in his hardwood chair. He glanced around where he was - a relatively posh office - and at the man sitting at the desk. He idly toyed with a curl of hair with a finger. The man was sweating profusely.

"It looks like my timetables just got pushed up. Sign on the datapad please."

"I..."

"Sign."

"You... You aren't going to get away with this." The man barely stuttered out the words, his shaking fingertip tracing a signature. He had a few tribal marks, but clearly had long ago abandoned his primitive homeworld.

"Are you trying to intimidate me or reassure yourself? You'll fail regardless." He sighed again, archly, dismissively. He loved sighing like that. He looked over the datapad again, and nodded. "My terms were quite generous regardless. Your successor will appreciate that very much."

The man remained silent, but the implication was not lost on him. He swallowed. Antherion let out a small laugh that quickly grew into a hearty chuckle.

"Who do you think let me in this building in the first place? You're not a popular man."

The man kept silent. Antherion extended a finger, pressing the thin, pallid digit to the shaking man's chest. The director tried to move but the lightning was in him, steaming in his veins, boiling in his eyes, racing through his body to paralyze muscles and stop his heart. The man remained silent. He would never stop remaining silent. And his documents were transferred to a much more pliant, amoral man willing to sign exclusive contracts.

His loan wasn't that big, and companies didn't just pop out of nowhere. He needed to improvise. But murder wasn't on his mind right now. Right now, he was waiting to hear back - and his mind was solely fixed on helping this woman build a relaxing, peaceful paradise. Peace was a lie, but dishonesty sells very, very well.

| [member="Dunames Lopez"] |

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Phosphor Pharmaceuticals? That was one of those start-ups: the Force knew that the stories of entrepreneurship are often rife with grants, loans as sources of seed money, even though the challenges facing companies in their early stages of their lives were somewhat distant to her now. In seven years she took Star Tours from its beginnings, that is, the Star Tours in the condition it was when it closed shop to what it is today: one of the dominant forces in the galactic shipping scene. And, in certain areas of business, several of which are service industries, prestige is perceived as a job skill in its own right (Virginie would be among the first to tell someone how critical prestige is as a job skill in the legal industry) in which case it's either grow or die. Yet she had to think of what kind of people would go there: while she was not a healthcare professional by any stretch, she knew that the competitors that operated such healthcare spas had a good number of patrons that had musculo-skeletal problems, so she would expect the Runinn-Zhanmud luxury health spa resort to cater to a similar segment of the market, for long-term rehabilitation.

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Dear [member="Antherion"],

Given that you agreed that the preliminary questions may be asked over the HoloNet, I would like to know what offerings there are, specifically those that can deal with stuff that deals with musculo-skeletal medical conditions. I expect many of the patrons of the health resort to be there to treat musculo-skeletal medical conditions, but other medications that are of use for, say, pulmonary problems, are fair game, too.

Dunames Lopez

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[Ras'kala'han]

As his navcomputer mapped out a smooth, safe route to Luminoss, Antherion attended to the messages he was receiving. He had sharply limited chiropractic knowledge, and what chemists and doctors were in his employ catered far more often to military interests and general civilian items than objects of such specific purpose. He had no doubt that the woman could obtain cheap, mass-market painkillers, so he began running through a list of possibilities.

Ms. [member="Dunames Lopez"] -

We appreciate the need of patients and customers for non-intrusive solutions to problems that can be caused by the wear and tear of the Galaxy. On a basic level, synthetic Kolto (while less effective than the genuine, Manaan product) would be able to ease aches and pains, and accelerate repairative therapy. As its genetic basis is native to an aquatic planet, it would be able to be used in soaks and washes without compromising effectiveness or creating harsh, alkaline smells.

For more specific solutions, we could discuss the possibility of non-intrusive methods of delivery substances to promote muscular and skeletal healing (I'm partial to microneedle patches), stem acids for 'smoothing over' scar tissue, or a mild, aerosolized painkiller that can be mixed with incense.

Once we figure out what your needs are specifically, we can begin discussing pricing for chemical synthesis, and any necessary development costs beyond whatever basis already exists, so that production can begin as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Thank you for your correspondence - I eagerly await meeting you in person.

Antherion

For a moment, Antherion pursed his lips and wondered whether corporat-ese was supposed to come this easily to him, or if he was just a boring, boring person. In the end, it didn't matter, he supposed. Sending the message, Antherion glanced up out the viewport as the autopilot entered into landing mode - readying to cruise down to the spaceport.

He was here. It was time for the meeting to begin.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

And all that she did know about the medical aspect of treating musculo-skeletal medical conditions or of chiropractic came from market research reports, which, obviously, did not have the same depth of medical knowledge as even general practitioners, and at best comparable to Force-healers'. She read [member="Antherion"]'s last message: microneedle patches (in the mind of some healthcare professionals, to be inserted in gauze or in bandages), stem acids and aerosolized painkillers for use in aromatherapy - she'd rather have a supply of all three to cater to the widest range of species. And, of course, the synthetic kolto. This was to form the backbone of what will make the medical part of the health spa resort accomplish what it will have to do. But once Antherion arrived on Luminoss, Virginie arrived at the spaceport, ready to bring him over to the hotel room that she has booked on the planet as part of the First Order delegation at the Games.

"Ma'am, Antherion has arrived and wishes to discuss business" Virginie told Dunames over comms.

"Send him to my room. Also, Virginie, do guide him here, too"

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Luminoss... An 'artificial world'. Such an interesting conceit. Shame, then, that it would be used for something so shallow... or perhaps a point of pride that the Galaxy had finally churned out a technological marvel that wasn't being immediately tasked for war. Although that's exactly what it deserved for letting the Sith guide the cutting edge of technology. If the Jedi were as talented at research and development as they were at uncovering new shades of brown to wear, disease would be eradicated in the Galaxy.

Of course, disease being eradicated wouldn't be good for Antherion. If suffering didn't exist, there was no market for him to sell his medicine.

He drifted quietly, following Virginie as she guided him through the surprisingly tasteful hotel to the room where the meeting would take place. It was best to make a good impression, so he wore a matte shadowsilk robe embroidered with floral, shimmersilk designs that gleamed all the more in their dark setting. Resting on his head was a circlet of chemically preserved bloodflowers, their sanguine flush making him look especially pale - they looked freshly plucked, despite being dead for months.

He smiled when he saw who he presumed to be [member="Dunames Lopez"].

"A pleasure to for the first time see you. Ms. Lopez, I presume?" He clasped his hands on his lap as though praying. "Shall we talk business?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"[member="Antherion"] has arrived, madam"

"That is correct. I have to say that, since I expect the patrons to be from a wide array of species and patients with musculo-skeletal medical conditions and other stuff requiring long-term rehabilitation, let me preface this by saying that I would like some supply of all the products you mention in your last message: for some species, microneedle kolto patches would be better advised than stem acids, while other species would prefer stem acids to aerosolized painkillers, and others still would prefer aerosolized painkillers"

However, that's as far as either Virginie or Dunames knew medicine. She knew that, depending on the medical files of patients, some stuff was preferable to others, but she had no clue on what those depended. Even that failed therapist that became an Alliancist admiral and that was somehow mentioned in Taking Off on a Star Tour when its Kaeshana dossier was released, would have known musculo-skeletal medicine better than Dunames would, despite that failed therapist being a Force-healer. But healthcare industry spas were a new area of touristic business for Star Tours. After operating a ski resort on Hoth and a beach resort on Lanteeb, and, of course, building spaceports on three different planets (Subterrel, Kaeshana and Rakata Beta, in reverse chronological order), nothing was too outlandish for Star Tours. Perhaps a thousand doses of each was going to last them for a week or two, perhaps a thousand doses would last for several months, or even just a few days: hopefully Phosphor Pharmaceuticals would be able to provide even the last frequency.

"I estimate that a thousand doses of each would allow to get the resort up and running, with expected repeat business to be readjusted as necessary. Oh and for non-musculo-skeletal medicine, synthetic kolto is still going to be used"

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion nodded. If it weren't for his Sith approach to all kinds of negotiation - maintain an air of idle aloofness in all things and never let the mask break - he might have expressed some surprise at the size of the order. This was far larger than any of the other, more basic commercial contracts that he had been filling to keep his business afloat and turn small profits. This was clearly a much larger project than he had anticipated at first.

Which raised the question. Could his business handle it? The things he had mailed, he had discussed previously with researchers, but some things were not entirely ready for production.

Synthetic Kolto was a fairly simple process, but they had yet to implement much in the way of mass-production. The microneedle patches were functional, but were more expensive to produce than standard injectors, making them useful for, for the most part, specific items. Specific medications and painkillers would need to taken on a case-by-case basis.

He smiled, nodding. "If you're going to have a need for Synthetic Kolto in large quantities, I could offer you the option of leasing a small crew of specialists and a set of equipment to allow for on-site production. Provided you recover repair costs and regular chemical refills, you should have a steady supply and reduce periodic costs for yourself on a much larger basis. It might take some time to install, but on completion the production can begin immediately."

Below market costs for her as long as the devices didn't break down (he would make sure of it), and less strain on his corporate structure to accommodate, increasing profits. Everyone would be happy.

"As for the doses of each, I'd appreciate being given a time by which you need them. Costs may vary depending on by when all of this is needed, based on how our facilities can provide for you." He tilted his head just slightly.

| [member="Dunames Lopez"] |

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"We estimate that we may be going to need about 50-60 doses of each item a day, so that's what on-site production would, ideally, be in terms of on-site production capacity, maybe up to 100 doses a day, but no more than that"

[member="Antherion"] didn't realize yet that 1,000 doses of each would last two to three weeks. Of course, no health spa would be complete without an on-site pharmacy, so the remaining doses would be sold alongside the usual selection of medicines sold in what pharmacists called community or first-line pharmacies. And yet no one would forget the sauna, the massage therapy units and the fitness rooms, used by physical and occupational therapists alike. Bandages, gauze would have to be dealt with separately but that's what the pharmacist is for. Now, the matter of pricing is going to be broached and in many more ways than one. That was a very delicate matter and the profit margins were already not so great at this stage, she'd better be able to justify the cost of four pharmacists (two for the first-line part and two that are more akin to hospital practice). That arena was new to her, and the healthcare expertise may be a little out there, for sure.

"The resort would be open about two months from now so we would need the initial 1,000 doses of each in two months, if that's feasible. Our patrons expect nothing less than the very best in medical supplies. With that said, how much is that going to cost?"

 

[Ras'kala'han]

"Quality, quantity, and within a convenient timeframe. As we are indeed a recent start-up," Or the stitched together corpse-monster that's the end result of multiple hostile takeovers and a fair bit of dishonest business, "The two months are good, they provide us with a fair amount of time to synthesize and prepare. Three months may have been preferable, but once we set up our systems in their entirety, they should be able to produce the specific products you require at the rate you need."

"I feel the need to disclose a slight markup, due to this increased rate of production, but even in light of that what you'll be looking at will be fair prices, and I always make sure to provide superior quality, cheaper goods, or preferably both when compared with the competition."

Antherion then did a bit of quick math in his head regarding the pricing. One of the things you don't expect out of Sith Sorcery training is algebraic knowledge, but the workings of any individual spell depend on varying factors, external and internal, that mandated a wide range of skills - ancient languages to speak the incantations, a sense of rhythm and pitch to intone them properly, manual dexterity to weave the gestures necessary, and yes, mathematical knowledge as a way of channeling thoughts through the proper mental motions.

"I hope you find this fair. I wish I could give you more leeway, but I need to recoup my costs - including transportation and packaging - in addition to profit for future growth."

| [member="Dunames Lopez"] |

Spoiler: OOC

I have a poor sense of the exact numeric value of credits, so substitute what you believe would be a reasonable, yet profitable price. I'll go off any numeric value you put forwards.

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"250,000 credits for the initial batch of 1,000 doses of each medication, and 40,000 credits a month for the leasing of staff and equipment. Does that make sense to you?"

The chemical refills would be costing, if the pharmacist's estimates are accurate, another 75,000 credits a month. Presumably the pharmacist would be able to know where to get chemical refills at that cost or better, whereas Dunames has no experience with chemical industries susceptible to produce the chemical refills for medical products. Dunames knew that [member="Antherion"] had a few concerns: two months was apparently a little fast, but she knew the supply of those items wasn't instant: after all, just-in-time manufacturing had its limits, and everyone and their dogs in supply chain management knew it. Dunames had no idea what this whole deal was about: she was determined to make it work but she realized that running such a luxury health spa resort was much like running a long-term healthcare facility, and the Runinn-Zhanmud (named after the two managers, one for the hospitality part, one for the medical part) was shaping up to become a luxury rehab facility for injuries of musculo-skeletal nature.

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Antherion nodded, a smile on his face. "My first instinct might be to fight you a bit on the price, Ms. Lopez, just for the sake of squeezing a few more credits, showing off my business acumen... but how can I when you have such a fair, keen mind for pricing?"

He nodded. This was enough to recoup his costs, and enough to turn a profit for new growth. His focus was military grade equipment, so this was enough that he could afford to divert costs to it, profitable enough, yet not demanding enough to stymie him. He deemed the trade worthwhile.

"Phosphor accepts your offer."

| [member="Dunames Lopez"] |

 

[Dunames Lopez]

Now that [member="Antherion"] accepted the offer made by Star Tours, all that Dunames had to do was to print the resulting contract, with the conditions set forth and agreed upon, so that Antherion could sign it in the end. True, it was perhaps a little expensive to get started, but the clientele she expected for the medical part of this resort was a little more upscale. And yet it was one of the rare occasions where someone commented on her eye for pricing: Star Tours got pretty sweet deals for multiple things. That, without having to resort to the dirty tricks she knew Force-using businessmen attempted. With the contract printed on two-layer carbon paper, Dunames hands the final version of the contract to the supplier's representative, with the yellow copy for Star Tours and the white copy for Antherion. One less thing to worry about: in two months, this outfit will open, hopefully minimizing the amount of white elephants held on Luminoss, she thought.

"Here: may this contract be a symbol of the medical success of the resort"

 

[Ras'kala'han]

"And by symbolizing that, may it also represent our own, overflowing accounts."

His handwriting, normally a neat, flourish-fraught script, had changed slightly since his hands had developed their shiver - he pressed the pen firmly to the paper, moving it as compactly as possible to avoid betraying the constant, slight motion and nearly succeeding. He looked down - it was strange, doing this on paper, but he saw a simple practicality to that.

If anything, he reflected, it was strange that someone who loved nothing more than poring endlessly over ancient tomes would do most of his note-keeping and communication purely through electronic records. He would have to get back in the habit of writing, if only to make sure that his life's work wouldn't be wiped out by the errant ion storm.

He wondered if [member="Dunames Lopez"] knew that her payment would fund chemical weapons and military-grade medical supplies. He doubted she would care, however - her record as a producer for the First Order meant that she simply had to know what she was providing support to, in the end. Not a credit in circulation wouldn't eventually go to war.

He looked up at the purple-haired woman after signing, smiling. "Will that be all?"

 

[Dunames Lopez]

"That will be all"

Now that her business with [member="Antherion"] on Luminoss was over, that's one less hurdle to clear for completing the construction of the Runinn-Zhanmud luxury health spa resort; at least it was practical in the event of catastrophic failure of electronic equipment - unlike some of those businesses that relied exclusively on electronic records. To be fair, paper records had a few problems of their own, but it was the price to pay for that sort of things. Plus when one worked so long in the shipping industry, what the goods being shipped were ultimately being used for was of little consequence, or who they shipped to, so long as they are paying the proper dues. Sure, in the early days of Star Tours, she did introduce a tool that was used for smuggling and moneylaundering in simultaneous fashion, which decreased in importance as time went on, but that's also a function of diversification, mostly horizontal with a little bit of vertical integration being made.