“Is there anyone ahead of the fleet or the GAG in this line?” Jacen asked.
“Our suppliers do have other clients.”
“I hope they’re on our side.”
“We source our equipment from allies.”
“Are your people moving as fast as they can?”“
“Of course they are, Colonel Solo. We’re also looking for ways to streamline the process.”
Jacen smiled. “So am I.” He looked around the office. It wasn’t gold-plated, but he was expecting to see some evidence of lack of frugality. “Now, about the cannon service packs. The parts that need swapping out frequently. I asked for an explanation of why there have been so many misfires.”
Velio consulted his datapad with the air of a man with a very good defense, or at least a robust excuse. “We ran random sampling on those packs yesterday for all the main cannon specs, and the service packs we buy are adequate.”
“But we don’t want adequate. We want best.”
“We do have budget constraints, sir.”
“Is this decision made by a department?”
“There’s a senior purchasing officer, yes.”
Jacen knew there was only one way to focus people who didn’t quite understand what adequate meant in the field. He turned to the droid. “Aitch, under the current powers, is there a mechanism by which I can co-opt civilian staff to carry out research?”
HM-3 hummed on the threshold of Jacen’s normal hearing for a few seconds. “Yes, sir.”
“Is there any restriction on location and conditions?”
“No, sir.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Jacen was starting to enjoy the rich
scope for inventiveness that regulations gave him. They didn’t limit his options at all: they created new ones. He started to see the joy of the letter of the law. “I’d like to meet the chief purchasing officer who signed off on the cannon packs.”
Velio looked slightly bemused. “I take responsibility for what my staff do, sir.”
“That’s very commendable, but I really want to understand the process, and that means getting to know the people. Understanding of the other person’s situation is the key to this, I think.”
Velio, still looking bewildered, went to summon the purchasing officer via his desk comm.
“No, that’s quite all right,” Jacen said. “I’ll go to his office.”
HM-3 made an inscrutable clicking sound as the three of them took the turbolift to the purchasing floor. They stepped out of the cab into an open-plan office that could have accommodated wandering herds without trouble. Good. Jacen wanted an audience. Hearts and minds.
“Let me introduce you to Biris Te Gaf,” said Velio. “He’s our senior purchasing officer for engineering support.”
Te Gaf was visibly nervous, and his staff and co-workersmainly humans, but Nimbanese, Gossams, and Sy Myrthian, toofeigned work while watching discreetly. Jacen could feel the pervading anxiety throughout the floor. Gaf offered a damp hand for shaking, and Jacen turned on his full charm. Te Gaf had a lot of data about why the cannon pack was fit for the job. It was a very good price, he told Jacen.
“But we have misfires and various problems to iron out,” said Jacen. He checked that everyone could hear him, judging their attention by the close-range ripples in the Force and their body language. “I’d really like your help on this. I’m asking you to do some evaluation of the cannon pack.”
“Of course, Colonel Solo. Anything I can do to help.”
HM-3 leaned in close and whispered to Jacen. “Article five, subsection C-twenty-seven.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Jacen smiled at the purchasing officer. “That’s why, under article five, subsection C-twenty-seven of the Emergency Measures Act, I’m assigning you to the front-line ship that’s had the most cannon misfires in the fleet, because there’s no better place to gather facts than from the people who have to use this kit, and in the place where they have to use it.” Jacen glanced around. Even with Force-enhanced hearing, he could detect very little breathing and no swallowing. “I’m more than happy to extend this field deployment to anyone who wants to better understand the end users’ experience of procurement. Just say the word. We’re always happy to accommodate you. In fact, I can guarantee you a ringside seat for the action.”
Jacen smiled with all the diplomatic sweetness he’d learned from his mother and looked around the room, knowing he wouldn’t be mown down by volunteers. Te Gaf looked stricken. Jacen felt he’d focused everyone on the significance of their job more effectively, and that they now knew what would happen if they thought adequate was good enough.