Material Acquisition / PORTAGE

Material Acquisition is a Premier Star Citizen Organization based in the Ellis system.

The following is an accounting of the first time I met Tauvo Crais – by ROCK MELTER (former CEO of GETCO)

Material Acquisition has grabbed a sizable market share in the short time since being founded, mainly due to its ruthless business practices and tendency to buy out competitors. In addition, MA’s mother company, GETCO, has poured money into MA to make it the largest commodities company in the UEE.

As I wait in Tauvo Crais’s corner panoramic ‘secondary office.’ I take in the brilliant skyline colors as Ellis’s star crests the horizon. The room is sparse but comfortable. Interestingly, there aren’t any terminals in the room, just a low table in the center of the room and long couches that encircle it. When Tauvo Crais finally arrives, he apologizes profusely for being detained and offers me a drink. I decline, but he’s already filling a glass of Earth-made Scotch.

For those who don’t know, Tauvo Crais is as known for his hospitality as his vast wealth and multiple business ventures. Although he still manages his responsibilities at GETCO, within five seconds of talking to him, it’s evident that his true passion lies in the operations of MA. After the company catapulted into the public consciousness with the release of MASOP, the “Material Acquisition and Support Optimization Project.”. Tauvo immediately called his critical miners, salvagers, and traders ( his “Literati”) to this office to discuss what they would do next.

“We spent weeks up here,” he explained as he sipped Scotch and glanced at the breathtaking brightening sky outside. “A couple of us even slept here when the conversation was fascinating.” Finally, Tauvo grappled with a question and turned to the Literati to help him find an answer. His question was a simple one: what do we do next?

Most of his production executives recommended detailed analytics of the MASOP and “Internet Spaceship Spreadsheets,” then using those metrics to chart where the company should go. The trouble was that this plan would require years before MA could accrue enough data to make an informed decision. Tauvo didn’t want to wait years.

He didn’t just want to make ‘another Outpost.’ Tauvo Crais wished to change the universe. As the sole owner of Material Acquisition, he is uniquely positioned to dictate company policy without answering to a nervous board or thousands of stockholders. However, that shouldn’t lessen the impact of his dedication to pursuing new ideas.

Tauvo sets his empty glass down and looks at me; he looks THROUGH me and then says, “That’s what brought you to me today.” Then, after a pause, he continues, “an ideal that is so powerful that it intrigues you enough to want to be a part of our Literati.”

Material Acquisition is one of the companies created by war veterans of the Xi’an-Human War (2530-2792), a period of military and political tension between the United Empire of Earth (UEE) and the Xi’an Empire. Specializing in the distribution of supply and logistics, Material Acquisition has carved itself a nice little niche within the UEE and is looking toward expanding its operation in other empires.

Our Foundry is an energetic mining company willing to take chances searching for rich minerals. They send heavily armed mining expeditions deep into the outer regions. They have concentrated their operation in the highly disputed regions between UEE borders. These areas are mineral-rich.

Material Acquisition evolved some decades ago into a full-fledged shipping company that operated throughout the UEE when several agricultural and mining companies joined. One of the largest raw material companies in Star Citizen, Material Acquisition conducts various resource gatherings and operates both inside and outside the UEE.

With trade, especially inter-stellar trade, such an integral part of UEE society, it is no wonder that MA gained so much power and influence as goods constantly flow in and out of the UEE.