Life and Production: S1 E5: The Bloodless Battle

The Advent

Financier Zev Tal sat down to study the charts. Before him, four screens displayed the trades on the exchange. He would’ve served a year of a six year sentence for insider trading. The judge gave him an option: remain in New York and face time and fines or move out of the state. Tal opted for the latter and made his way to Hockessin, Delaware. Before the charges and allegations, he earned two doctorates: one for finance, the other for French literature. He studied at the Saint Joan of Arc University in Paris, France. He spoke three languages: English, French, and Hebrew. Israel, he said, produced him, Europe taught him, and America made him. In New York, he founded his own hedge fund, Tal Capital. In twelve years, Tal became an American citizen and reaped millions in profits trading on a special financial instrument of his own creation called “rock-a-bye” bonds for their risk of trading securities at high prices and their potential for falling like the proverbial cradle. The judge would have found Tal guilty of insider trading and banished him from ever trading on the New York market ever again. But that didn’t stop him from taking up residence in Delaware. Tal encountered Trevor Lesane while attending a convention for chemists in Wilmington. On the lookout to fund another venture, Tal stepped to Lesane and initiated a friendship. With the advent of Lesane Laboratories needing investors to get off the ground, Tal stepped up as one of the first people to offer not only his money but also expertise in developing a business. While Lesane managed his funds with definite precision, Tal provided him with further know-how in the ways of money. As business partners and friends, the two formed a union which would oversee the billions in profits that Lesane Laboratories generated each year.

In a Thoughtful Sense

Now, after the Great Transition, Tal found the freedom to use his rock-a-bye strategies on the stock exchange in Delaware. He implemented the same tactics and high risk behaviors that would’ve landed him behind bars. But now it remained legal. These instruments lead to the profit margins to double year by year. Tal knew enough about chemistry to not be a dullard but still learned a significant amount from Lesane. The same age as Lesane, Tal traded knowledge of French culture and cuisine with Lesane. The two friends held business meetings on a week by week basis. Each man knew that he could learn something from the other. On this particular day, Tal finished up a deal for Lesane Laboratories to break ground in his home city of Tel Aviv. He called up even more investors to pump funds into the construction of the first Lesane Laboratory to be erected in the Middle East. Tal ensured Lesane that the he would establish this new laboratory and make it just as profitable and productive as his previous endeavors.

Tal, now adjusting the screens before him, studied them as a rabbi would pore over some sacred scroll. His inventiveness lead him to discover answers to problems as they appeared. Unencumbered by the dictates of regulators, Tal held sway over his investments to the fullest. This liberty enabled him to make crucial risks without the government running him down and shackling him to a system of disastrous rules. All of the benefits of engaging in the private sector presented themselves to Tal. His knowledge of the markets allowed him to pinpoint which properties to invest in regardless of the perceived the risk that they entailed. Though he knew it would be legal in Delaware, on ethical terms, he opted not to take part in insider trading as a manager. Whatever obscure details lawmakers outside of the state of Delaware attached to the term, Tal refused to discover their results. In reality, he conducted business with authority and sought no solace in the government to provide him his wealth. He rejoiced at the fact that he could trade with compatriots in the bloodless battle for a dollar. When it came time to send funds around the globe, he positioned himself as a gentleman of the market. He leaned on his own wits to penetrate through the endless barrage of stooges which popped up all over the place. He anticipated the fluctuations in what prices would be set but lauded the Delaware Exchange Commission (DEC) for liberating free marketers to do what they want. He did not view this in the sense of some whimsical, willy-nilly free-for-all, but what they yearned for in a thoughtful sense to be obtained through action.

Advancement

On his smartphone, Tal selected Lesane’s phone number in video mode. It rang. Then, a voice.

“Have you shook up the world today?” Lesane’s face appeared to match the voice on Tal’s phone.

“Since I woke up this morning,” Tal said.

“What’s up, young man?”

“I’ve got to secure the land rights and assure the other investors that their interests will be protected in such a hostile climate as Israel. The implementation of the new laboratory hinges upon the fact that we can build in accordance with the laws of Tel Aviv.”

“Do what you think needs to be done,” Lesane said.

Lesane still busied himself with analyzing the cocaine and heroin samples in the laboratory. He deliberated on the process to create that special drug which would stamp out addiction.

“What have you got on heat?” Tal asked. He noticed that something distracted him from the video session.

“I’m just working on a new drug which would solve an old problem.”

“Understood. Well, thanks again for the input and I’ll get back to you,” Tal said.

“Take care, Zev.”

When the two men finished their video conference, they each went back to their respective work.

As one of the world’s foremost centers for technological advancement and medicine, Tel Aviv would be an ideal locale for Lesane Laboratories. Tal initiated the plans for developing in that region. He studied a timetable for construction and designated a date for the grand opening. Tal would help carry Lesane and himself to heights they'd never experienced.