The Foundry; Part 7

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Each individual unit would be guarded by employess of Saeva Incorporated. The facilities would be kept separate and individually contained in order to prevent espionage or any power-plays between corporations. As the hosts of the companies that will be there Vanir Technologies will have a vested interest in keeping everyone on good terms. That also means the protection of their assets. Of course, companies may also provide their own protection in the section of the station that they lease." That had been planned early on, after all, everyone had their secrets.

It was a big part of why The Foundry was going to be built in order to allow sectioning. There would be no mixing individual corporate holdings on the station.

"A year." Nel said confidently. "Perhaps less with luck. The raw materials are already being produced and everything else is in place. It's ambitious to do it that quickly, but I believe it is possible."

Especially with Vanir at the helm, construction was their mainstay after all.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"A year?" Her eyes widened a bit in disbelief. "That's quite a goal you've set for yourselves." She was impressed with the ambition Nel had, and her confidence in the ability to achieve that goal in or under the time given.

The idea of having security personnel within the facility eased a bit of the Twi'lek's concerns, given that not all corporations liked to play by the book as one would say. If she were to take up leasing a space here, she would need to ensure that her assets were secure. Sure, GEAR was hardly the most prominent or sought after in terms of company secrets, but those secrets were still important to her and her staff. Perhaps a new project would be to design a line of droids to maintain oversight and security within her leased space, given that Nel had spoken of allowing individual corporations to police their own space.

"I like this. It sounds like you've drawn out plans and contingency plans for the security measures. Is this all included in the leasing prices? Or is this in addition to? I'd just like to know a ball park estimate of the total end-game costs of the space before I sign on the line, so to speak."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"We believe it's possible. Vanir Technologies has long specialized in construction projects and we have the resources and tools to accomplish it." The Seedships, the vessels that had formerly helped create the Dark-Net would be of greatest help. The vessels were in essence massive foundries within themselves, taking in huge amounts of raw materials and constructing small things in turn. Formerly this construction had simply been buoy's for the Dark-Net, now they were instead constructing the pieces of the Foundry itself.

Easy really, and quite cost effective.

"These will be the final cost for companies that sign up now." Nel explained further. "Rates will remain unchanged for the space you lease now, though obviously if you request more space they will go up."

That was simple logic.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Then I will be eager to see the facility completed, barring any unforeseen obstructions." She smiled. It would certainly be fantastic to offload a bit of the work from both Umbara and Phindar to a third facility, while being able to hire additional workers to fill roles for faster production and expanded research. That was something she had planned for, though had yet to locate a suitable location. Constant wars between governments typically made the Jedi hesitate. After all, she had two things to protect, her assets, and herself. Being a Jedi was a 24 hour job. Having a business just ensured to others that there was always a place to find her.

"I believe you have yourself a deal. This facility is precisely what I was looking for when scouting for the proper expansion. Planetary installations are fantastic for bringing local employees and revenue, but the security issue is always there. Between government interference and the never ending wars that wage, a neutral zone such as this seems a smart investment."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Tremendous." Nel said with genuine excitement in her voice.

This was an occasion that she would have to celebrate.

Things were going far more smoothly than she had anticipated. The Liran had thought that other corporations would see Vanir's building of The Foundry as a power-play, that Vanir was seeking to become something of a corporate overlord. Such was not the case of course, quite the opposite, but it was still a fear of perception. She was happy to learn that most seemed to understand and see the opportunity that The Foundry brought to the system. To Nel, it meant that perhaps companies might work better together in the future.

"Then shall we have lunch?" She offered the woman. "I have a suite prepared."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The quiet rumbling of the Twi'lek's stomach may have answered Nel's question for her. Though she bowed her head all the same. "Lunch sounds lovely."

Sera watched as the hologram of the completed facility faded from view. Her hands curved behind her back, clasping together as she followed alongside Nel out of the laboratory.

"I'll forward the information from today's meeting over to the financial board to handle all of the paperwork, when the time comes."

As they walked the Twi'lek's curiosity was piqued. She wondered what drove the woman beside her to sign up with Vanir and to oversee the construction of such a facility. "So if I may, what brought you to Vanir? Had you already been employed? Or did you come as a replacement to help increase revenue and bring new ideas?"

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Nel began to lead Seraphina through the halls of Vanir Technologies. There was a Mess Hall only a single floor up, and with a swipe of her datapad and a small motion of her hand she could have it vacated for the two of them. It wouldn't be a huge issue, there were two more mess halls on the same floor. The employees knew well that if they were told to move, it was for a very good reason.

"Me?" That was a series of questions she had never expected.

"I worked for Mr. Kuhn for many years." She stopped for a second, then began to clarify. "Mr. Kuhn is the former CEO."

That was a rather important detail to the story, especially considering that he himself had drawn Nel to Vanir Technologies. "Before he founded Vanir Mr. Kuhn operated as the CEO of Titan Industries for nearly two decades. He was the one that originally hired me there. I worked for Titan all that time, and eventually when Mr. Kuhn disappeared I quit, not wanting to work for a company accused of such heinous things. When Mr. Kuhn returned and founded this company he invited myself as well as half a dozen other researchers to work for him once more."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I see. So you have quite the hand for this sort of thing then. I can understand why you were chosen to lead this company and project."

She watched as the dozen or so folks cleared out. "You needn't empty the room for me, Nel. I am by no means shy." Not that it mattered all that much, before she got the word out, they had already made haste out.

"I am pleased then, that he saw fit to place you in his stead. He made a wise decision it seems. You have a solid business knack, and take calculated risks with what seems to be a fantastic payoff for your efforts." The cost to build such a facility on the hopes that it would be successful were astronomical, but the manner in which the woman had gone about it seemed more or less spot on perfect. She had interested parties lined up well in advance, and the funding secured to ensure that the return on the investment was made, and that anything past that was nothing but profit. Genius, really.

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Thank you." Nel inclined her head.

The compliments did mean quite a bit to her, and they helped stabilize the feelings of doubt that had slowly been creeping in her mind. The Liran was confident in her abilities of course, confident in what she was able to to do and what she had the knowledge to succeed in, but even the most confident sometimes doubted themselves. It was only natural really, with so many doubting her and some even working against her it was bound to happen eventually.

"My only hope is that The Foundry Succeeds." If it did, it would mean great fortune. "Of course, there are other projects that Vanir continues to work on, but The Foundry will allow me to make a swift mark."

That was what she wanted really, needed. "I will enjoy seeing it's day of completion more than I can express."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"By what you've shown me thus far, I am certain you'll have no trouble in seeing this through to success."

The Twi'lek smiled warmly. The success of the foundry would be important not only to Nel, but also to the security for GEAR. Galactic wars were continuing to spread, and even on planets such as Umbara and Phindar, it was likely that eventually the battles would find their way there, just as they had through much of the galaxy already. A third party neutral zone with no vested interest in any one government, entity, or company would be for the best.

"Thank you again for this invitation and opportunity. I am truly humbled that you thought of us."

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

 

[Rose Kuhn]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

She inclined her head in a small nod.

"Vanir Technologies wants to help all corporations, Sera." That was certainly true. Many might try to find some sort of ulterior motive or sinister plot behind The Foundry, but there was none. It was a move that was designed to do two things, strengthen Corporations throughout the galaxy, and Make Vanir Technologies a lot of money. It would accomplish those two things, and it would accomplish them without Nel having to do anything sinister or under the table, it was simply how it was. "Your company, although relatively small compared to something like ATC, is still important to what we're trying to do."

What she was trying to do. "The Foundry will be a grand thing."

It was easy to tell that Nel truly believed in this project, that she wanted it to work.