George Everett Rolph slowly paced the immaculate display room of the DSE office, Pittsburg. In the back of his mind, he took in the awards, lined up behind seamless armorglass, stretching back over multiple generations of daring spacefarers. His attention was focused on the inside, on the voice inside his head from his neural communicator.
"That is a substantial increase. Do we know yet if it's being subsidized by an outside entity? Kishiro, perhaps?"
The next few paces proceeded in silence, the rest of the team talking in low voices as their eyes followed the boss. "We have done all we could on the monetary front. The shareholders won't stand for operating at a loss, market rate or no! I'll make the necessary calls." Another short pause. "Good. Ensure that at least one vessel is operating around the clock. Report back in forty-eight hours."
One of the staff huddle, a diminutive man, broke off and strode up to the boss. He flashed a table of numbers on his datapad, and Rolf took them in without breaking stride.
"Node 297, Cole."
"Online, boss." "Howdy there folks. I just thought I'd remind ya'll about the tentative agreement we got goin' on here. We're still in great need of any of them Propulsion systems, and I know your people stock the best quality. If you're thinkin' of re-negotiatin' the price, I'll have my people look at the numbers again-" a woman from the group shook her head "and get back to you real soon. Meanwhile, why don't you continue them deliveries, and we'll talk reimbursement if we end up re-negotiatin', eh?"
One of the armed men in the room cleared his throat. "VIP is on the way, boss. Two minutes, give or take."
"Larissa, get me the latest on these people again, smart summary. Maybe the mics picked something up in the shuttle."
"Way ahead of you boss. Nothing but polite bullshit." "Well, no harm in trying. Be ready."
The woman merely nodded.
Rolf positioned himself near the big probe by the entrance, thumbs casually tucked into his belt. He cleared his throat, recalling the recent comm to get back into gear.
Finally, he nodded to the armed man, who activated something on his wrist. The doors slid open.
Pittsburgh, not exactly seen by most as somewhere pleasant.
The planet has a huge industrial background on Boron Fever, habitations, plants and refineries is all that is on the planet. Everything else is sand.
The Ozymandias Orbital came from it's primary mooring in California, a short distance away. The new Liberty Government rules on certain ships had James on edge. His beloved Bustard had been approved a new license but he was still on edge. He'd only ever hired external work forces for moving his base and delivering various goods. This was a meeting he'd been both hoping for and dreading,
Accompanying James outside of the crew piloting the Bustard were his cousin, Paul and his niece, Lola. Neither Paul nor Lola had been involved with any external communications until now. It's only down to desperation that James had reached out to the DSE to begin with.
Extremely self-proud, this was the last final stab before he had to admit total failure.
Upon mooring in orbit, a small shuttle was boarded by the three Preston's as they made their way to the co-ordinates for the meeting. What to expect, they didn't know. Visibility was poor due to the thick industrial smoke only raised tensions further as they blindly allowed the autopilot to whisk them on their way.
Upon landing, James was the first to exit the shuttle and politely approached the man stood before him.
Hello there, I'm James, I'm to meet Mr Rolf with my family and colleagues, could you escort us to the correct place please?
The DSE employee led them up the immaculately kept path and to the front doors of the DSE Headquarters, not a word spoken as the three visitors were in total awe of the wonderous building stood before them. How is it possible to have been kept so clean and tidy with all the smog?
It was no sooner than these thoughts and awe were almost rudely interrupted as the DSE employee's voice announced their arrival.
Rolf took them all in. He was struck by the man's apparent youth, though with certain available treatments from Cryer, one couldn't take age for granted. Still, his lack of experience showed by the lack of staff - no security, and only a pair of assistants, who looked vaguely similar. He stepped forward.
"Well, howdy there folks. My name's George Rolf, and I'm the CEO of this fine company. You can call me George - only people close to me callin' me Mr. Rolf know they've messed up somehow, heheh." He offered his hand to shake.
James promptly stood forward and gave a firm handshake.
"This is my niece Lola, my cousin Paul. A pleasure to meet you.” Both sheepishly also shook hands with George in turn as their names were announced.
James nervously but boldly said, “An amazing facility you have here, so clean. Shall we get down to business?”
Rolf smiled at the compliment, though it hardly reached his eyes.
"And here I was thinking of showin' you around this here display." He guided the younger man towards it by putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder. Cole already had the cousins well in hand, pouring out his charm as he displayed the company's latest acquisition in Cortez.
"I find it helps folks to know what they're getting into." He said, glancing at the long row of named plaques, and then back at the man beside him.
James looked on in awe of the almost endless podiums, stands and displays of awards and assets the DSE had acquired under the leadership of Rolf. Almost lost for words, he looked back at the man with his eyes glistening.
“Truly, remarkable. You seem to have every part of the industry covered tenfold, although I have done my homework. From my perspective, you were exactly the right man to reach out to. All we’ve managed to achieve is a single installation with a few niche but very much functional factories to list our assets. By far our largest being a Barge class vessel, fitted out to refine various minerals. I must ask, what is it you saw in us to being worth entertaining your time?”
As James spoke he felt that the question could backfire horribly, his nerves were certainly showing to his family if they weren’t to Rolf himself.
Rolf considered the question carefully. He gestured to one of the nearby windows, containing a stylized jump gate of a much older design.
"Son, have you ever considered why Liberty has only four major publicly-traded companies? Matter of fact, I'd say most Houses are the same in that regard, eh?" He pointed to the display.
"This here celebrates the achievement of an Allison C. Renner and her team in expandin' our reach beyond The Barrier, into Bretonia. But do you think Renner was DSE?" He smiled at Preston, and this time his eyes crinkled at the sides. "We like to remember her that way, so that we can lay claim to that achievement. But she and her people were freelancers, just like you." He spread his arm to include the man's family in the gesture.
"Are you beginnin' to understand what I'm drivin' at?"
Until now James had always believed it’s a dog eat dog world. That no corporation would look at anyone or anything unless it’s pure cash driven. He also had a huge sense of personal failure on his shoulders. How the Ozymandias’s operations hadn’t been as successful as he’d hoped- just scraping by, in fact.
Rolf clearly saw something in what James and his team had achieved, the first point of ‘dog eat dog’ will always be true, but Rolf helped him realise in that instant that what he had achieved thus far was far from a failure.
Still, with much to learn he addressed Rolf again. “I see exactly what you’re saying and I thank you again for this opportunity, for both my team and yourselves.”
He walked over to the display of the Cortez acquisition, his eyes glistening as he looked at it.
“Are there any other displays here you’re particularly fond of? Don’t get me wrong, every single one individually is outstanding, just curious if any of the others top your favourites?”
His warm smile was hopefully taking the tension out of the air.
"There are many. But I find that them historical highlights ain't nothing compared with what we are able to achieve, here and now." He walked over to the display nearer to the other end of the room, with Preston craning his neck to notice the ones passing by. He stopped by a display containing three gates, with a stylized Kusari torch in the background.
"Take this here display. You'll be thinkin' that it's just another few gates, completed mostly by local labour, and you'd be mostly correct." Rolf briefly gazed inwards and wryly shook his head. "But the legal groundwork needed to even begin construction... The Keiretsu don't like outsiders pokin' around in their business."
He turned to Preston, giving him a nod and indicating that the formalities were now satisfied.
"And neither do we, son. But we both know an asset when we see it."
Rolf extended his arm in the direction of doors on the inner end of the room.
James, Paul & Lola were clearly buzzing with excitement, none of them had any idea what was in store, only that the bit they feared most was now over.
James, with a beaming smile, responded, “Well, you certainly know how to make people feel good about themselves! If you can’t tell already, we’re very excited to be working with you!”
James took almost bouncing steps through to the next room to which he’d been ushered. Paul and Lola eagerly followed suit. As James approached the door it opened automatically where he returned to normal pace, awaiting Rolf.
Rolf nodded to his team, and everyone but Larissa and Cole stayed put as they followed the Prestons into the tastefully-appointed conference room.
The conference room was well lit, had light refreshments placed neatly all the way up the centre of the marble table. Multiple seats with the same marble effect for the ridged parts, soft leather faced parts for the parts which make contact with the person sat in the seat.
The Preston's eyes all looking around at more awards and heavily detailed displays surrounding them.
They each took a seat on a single side of the table. Lola pulling a notebook from her bag eager to note down anything she thought relevant.
Rolf made himself comfortable at the head of the table, and motioned for his staff to take their places. One of the armed men shut the door, and enabled additional protection with the press of a button.
Rolf pressed the lid of a container by his arm, which popped open to reveal a neat row of Green Devils.
"The latest batch from Cortez. Help yourselves, folks." He said, touching one to the multi-tool on his wristband. The room began to smell of a rich loamy fragrance, with a pleasing acrid undertone. Rolf took a big hit, and exhaled with satisfaction as he surveyed the room.
"Now, let's get down to business, eh?"
Cole motioned, and the big panel screen on the wall came to life. Rows of incomprehensible data organized themselves into a number of simpler charts, all floating in a vague approximation of a solar orbit. Rolf pointed to the big DSE logo.
"We'll leave the regs for last. How about you folks lay out the state of your assets, and we'll decide how best to proceed." Rolf settled back into his seat as the Prestons exchanged glances, and launched into their pitch.
All three Prestons were curious about what the green things in a box were from Cortez. They raised curiosity but did not detour focus.
James, as always spoke first; “We are very proud of our base, having been in operation just over a year now. I believe the base once belonged to the DSE to begin with, alas, I could be wrong!”
He reached into his jacket pocket and picked out a small computer chip, slid it across the table to Cole who plugged it in as normal. Cole slid the presentation remote over to James. As if it was a table hockey puck, he diverted it toward Lola.
“You're up Lola!”
Sheepishly, Lola stood but the moment the first video-slide showed, her confidence exploded as if she'd been heading meetings all her life. She'd clearly rehearsed a number of times previous.
The image on the screen showed the outside aesthetic of the base. There was a clear distinction 50/50 split on the base, quite unlike any other.
The left side made up of several large biodomes, through which massive slides, dance floors and rest areas could be seen. All very colourful. The right hand side the exact opposite. Hyperactive factory-based modules clearly defined. The middle section also split into two. One clearly for welcoming guests for entertainment, the other for the mass delivery of raw materials and goods. They were split, with security weapon platforms guarding each respective side. The base looked like a Frankenstein sort of creation.
Lola: "Welcome to Outpost Ozymandias. Acquired in early 830 AS as a dysfunctional near wreck at only core two in level, we immediately sought to move it from the inhospitable area of Kepler into Liberty. The plan, which we have achieved and exceeded by far was to offer competitive rates on equipment and weaponry, but also offer a place to party, blow off steam, relax. An odd mix, business and leisure, however it's this unique mix which has seen us through to today. It's worth noting to date that we have successfully re-habilitated over 400 would have been' Xeno's from following a life of terrorism. Instead, they are now off in their own directions as Freelancers, mainly in Rheinland and Kusari. We haven't kept tabs on them, but they went in the correct direction."
She slides the presentation button over to Paul, who takes her place standing.
"Thank you Lola. The entertainment side is largely overseen by Lola, however she does do many other things as well. I primarily oversee the manufacturing side of the establishment. Our base boasts fully functional factories for producing Jump Drives of all classes, Docking modules suitable for all classes, an Exotic Weapons Foundry, an Exotic Equipment Fabricator, an Exotic Materials Fabricator and our very own style of Hydroponics producing some of the finest food you can imagine. We are very proud to be able to say we have perfected the blueprints of each and every codename gun. Our only custom thus far has been the Liberty Security and Military forces. Some mild interest from Rheinland officials but nothing overly profitable. We do have plans to make our own line of snub weaponry, however for now, we have no fully operational prototypes we can offer for testing as we are still running our own tests."
As Paul speaks, images flash past of the state of the art equipment and laboratories, along with some images of weapons being produced.
He slides the presentation button back to James, who continues.
“In addition to all the fine trained staff on board of the base, we field our flagship for testing the equipment. The Ozymandias Orbital, bustard class vessel which has undergone some quite significant modification. We've lost a considerable amount of cargo space in favour of a much, much more powerful secondary power-core. The result being that the ships weaponry can be used for far greater periods of time, whilst also allowing us greatly enhanced jump drive capabilities. There are some other drawbacks, but that's not important for now. We are also very pleased that we have an AWES- Implant ship, a Mastodon produced by none other than your company ”
He chuckles lightly as the screen goes dark and the room lighting returns to a normal level.
James walks around the table to be directly opposite Rolf.
“We have made advances over others in areas we have deemed a requirement, however, what we'd honestly like to do is perform like an actual haulier operated business which will support the paycheques of all staff we have on board, so any future research can continue without breaking the bank so to speak. We are willing to re-direct our workforce to become a robust, respectful and reliable haulier, & Manufacturer, just like you sir.”
Rolf let Cole and Larissa take the lead on the minor details as he leaned back and considered the bigger picture.
The Bretonians were pushing for more frigates, likely in preparation for another offensive in Dublin. But this new acquisition wouldn't be much help there - unless some changes were to be made. In any case, with Davis's recent highly classified report, another direction seemed to be holding more promise. As long as the LSF were on board, he saw no issue in offloading the new capabilities onto Ozymandias.
He took another pull at the Devil, still deep in thought.
Everything seemed to be in order so far, and Larissa would spot any irregularities, either now or before the contracts were signed. Most of the modules could stay as is, until the new confidential market analyses came in. Since these people had a deal of experience operating the pipelines, probably best to keep things as they were for now. In fact, turn over the crew, or give them the same offer as the ones at the Tavern? Best to confirm with Preston in case it was a touchy subject.
Rolf cleared his throat, interrupting a lukewarm discussion about Hydroponics maintenance. "Mr. Preston, I'm interested to hear more about the crews. What will they think about operating under the DSE umbrella?"
Conversation of logistics and the exact qualities of the refined hydroponics advertised prior had all three of the Preston’s and Rolf’s team in an excited flurry of colorful description. As soon as Rolf delivered his question, James’s facial expression went from happy and smiling to slightly concerned. It ended the conversation of Hydroponics in its tracks. Regardless, James was an honest man and that wasn’t going change now.
“The crew which makes up Ozymandias is comprised from hired scientists from everywhere, all of a freelance background who were seeking employment, the great desire to serve scientific purpose without being absorbed into a cult of some form. We produce weaponry, jump drives, docking bays of the finest quality and we have all become aware that by doing it honestly has been our greatest downfall.
What I mean is, by not selling our wares to any old war mongering pirate or terrorist, we’ve lost a significant slot in revenue which would otherwise have been filled. Everyone aboard the station has been hired by one or all of us Preston’s here. For years now we’ve operated as one large family and we have never held back the details of our finances from the employee’s. It was from conversations with all on board that we reached a mutual decision to reach out for external help. Each and every person on board trusts me, trusts us here to do the right thing. I feel we are doing the right thing. You’re a decent man with decent values and keep decent company. We’d be delighted to be recognized as your equals, as DSE itself. I trust that answers your question?”
It took a lot of pride for James to say this, Lola gave him a gentle hug just as he finished talking.
“We are willing to adapt as needs be, but would strongly prefer to not lose any of our current factories as our glorious men and women hold themselves very proud in the perfection of their individual crafts”
Rolf adopted a patient expression as he let the response wash over him, already getting the measure of the set-up. Out of hundreds of people who claimed a similar version with a straight face, these guys may have very well been the first to truly believe it - or they were that good at bullshitting.
"I'm glad to hear that you folks were able to build a good team. It's not my intention to put a wrench in a smooth operation." He raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture.
"However, from my experience, some folks who choose to work for an independent op ain't too happy about regulations that a large organization like DSE requires. Will you be able to keep 'em in line?"
Opposition from the workforce was something the Preston’s had never faced up to now. Given the staff all knew of the meeting with the head of the DSE and the intentions from the meeting, the thought of any mutiny hadn’t crossed his mind.
“Sir, honestly, everyone knows where we stand as a company on our own so far and where we hope to be as an outcome of this meeting. At the very least we hope to gain some sales from the DSE to boost our current performance, but ideally, we’d like to become a part of your company and we’re willing to adapt within reason to adopt any measures you have in place.”
James looked more stern for a second before continuing.
“Within reason means not wishing to get rid of any of my staff for their previous lives work before coming to us, not that there is any anything criminal… I’d like no discrimination of any kind as we have employee’s of all creeds and colors, all nationalities who all have their unique traits and specialties. Outside of this, we are all happy to adopt your company’s rules and regulations. The desire over all is to gain more business and should you feel at any time we are more of a burden than an asset, something has gone majorly wrong”
Lola spoke out of turn, interrupting James.
“James, Paul and I have personally hired everyone on board the station. Over time, we have become like family. The only divide we have on the base is between the leisure domes and the manufacturing side. This is for obvious safety concerns, also to prevent any kind of theft from rogue guest visitors… Yes, we’ve had a few attempted spies and thieves wishing to steal information or technology. There is no physical route through, it quite deliberately requires a space walk. All staff are of course free to spend their downtime as they please. As long as efficiency, productivity and quality doesn’t drop below 99.5%, no questions are asked."
Feeling quite proud of her outburst, Paul took the initiative.
“Just to note, that no department has ever called below 99.8% apart from when researching a new technology or weapons system, for which such things can’t be measured.”
“We look to flow organically as one. If one department is complete before their expected deadline, we seek to help other departments to enable them to finish on time. Each and every one of us gets our hands dirty”
Rolf let them sweat a little as he considered his answer, taking another pull on the Devil.
"A background check in non-negotiable. Anyone with Xeno, Rogue, Hacker, or Kusari connections will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Otherwise, I couldn't care less what your people got up to on their own time."
He looked them over, meeting their eyes to send the message home.
"You may not believe me yet, but some of your people will leave through their own volition."
Quite perplexed at the notion that anyone would want to leave the station due to joining DSE, James thought for a moment.
"Quite honestly, we were all expecting to have background checks done if we were to be in business. It was a question raised by staff. I did say and everyone was very clear when they understood that we would all become employee's of DSE. The only hope I personally held is that I would remain in control of the station and it's staff, to carry out duties and operations requested and commanded by yourself."
He looked to Lola and Paul before continuing
"I do not doubt your experience, trusting it is why we are here after all. I'm sure we are willing to lose anyone who hasn't fully committed to the cause. As a business, we need this to progress to new heights".
"Well that's all well and good then. I'll have my people confirm the personnel rosters when it's all said and done, but unless there are issues, we can let things run as they will, eh?" He nodded to Cole.
"Now there's one more thing regardin' personnel. I trust that your own people will be on the level. But I can't say the same about visitors, which means you'll need to adopt our dockin' protocols."
Cole performed a few efficient motions, and another display illuminates the room. Highlighted for simplicity, it summarized the docking rights with the myriad of known organizations and small co-ops of the Sirius sector. A number of entries blinked in red, to indicate a non-standard modification of the Libertonian defaults.
"I trust you folks won't have any issues with this here list? I'll give you some time to study it, just so we're on the same page."
Having been Freelance all his life, James was unpleasantly surprised and slightly confused to see that entities within Kusari were marked as undesirable and therefore cannot dock. He thought the best basis for trade would always to be able to sell to anyone. Then again, DSE was the largest and most successful corporation of it's kind so nearly not commencing trade with at least one house wasn't a long term issue...
"There's some interesting things there I didn't expect, like Kusari.... But no, all seems well."
He paused for a moment, then looked back at Rolf
"I guess this means we need to inform the Liberty Authorities of these changes?"
Rolf chuckled.
"As soon as you update your neural net systems with our proprietary software, all of that will be taken care of for ya." He spread his arm over the list.
"You'll be able to study it further at your leisure, Mr. Preston. I'm glad you're able to grasp it so quickly in the meantime."
Rolf blew out more smoke towards the screen.
"Now if you folks don't have any pressin' questions about this, let's move on to the modules you've outlined."
Although he was slightly confused about certain relations, James was confident as he spoke.
“Well, I do find a few things to be curious in terms of the relations of who you’re not friendly with for trade, but you sure as hell aren’t struggling for business and having anyone in bad regard would be a foreign concept for a Freelancer background!”
He laughed briefly
“Sure, what would you like to know about the factories?”
"You'll learn the value of reputation soon enough, son. DSE ain't well-liked across the whole sector, but the folks who do like us sure know how to do business."
Rolf waited as the screen went back to the earlier schematic, his head idly supported with one hand.
"I was originally going to have you folks make some changes to this wing here." Rolf gestured towards the aft section, with Cole helpfully highlighting the various modules. Rolf raised his hands to forestall an argument.
"But after our recent acquisition, I find that we're well-provisioned to continue with modular shipbuildin'. However, with current demand, we could always use a backup dry dock." He smiled at them to break the tension.
"All I need from you for now is an assurance that your people know how to work them exotic materials in the refinery you mentioned." The screen zoomed in on a module, which began slowly rotating on the graphic as Rolf looked on.
"We can talk about shipbuildin' after you're fully part of the team, eh?"
All three of the Preston’s looked delighted, they were hoping for a potential additional line of manufacturing to come from the whole deal. James broke the giddy silence.
“Yes sir! Paul here can tell you in depth about all of that. I know how it works and can direct, but Paul here truly knows the exact science which goes into it."
He turned to Paul, gesturing him onward.
“Yes, indeed I do! I can tell you anything and everything you need to know, demonstrate it, even. The hardest part is getting the raw supplies which I’m sure you know is no easy task.”
“We really should have you over for a demonstration of the factories if you like, also to try the very best food in Sirius from our Hydroponics.” She giggled with excitement.
Rolf nodded along with a slight smile. He was already thinking ahead to the fall they would take if things went wrong with the latest batch from Alaska. The shareholders wouldn't like losing an asset the company just acquired, but the materials absolutely needed to be tested, and fast. The LSF expected results, regardless of the issues underlying the process.
"I am sure I will be samplin' your cookin' when I make my formal visit." He found Larissa and gave a small nod.
"Cole here will go over the remainin' details to get everythin' in order, and then you'll need to sign a number of forms. If you have any questions, Larissa will be able to assist you. I will need to step away to make a company call, but please, call for refreshments when you're feelin' hungry."
He stepped forward to shake their hands, in turn.
After leaving them to it, Rolf was already fitting the new installation into the latticework of contracts always kept in his mind. The cost was immaterial, really, as the place would either pay for itself within the year, or serve as a good testing ground for the new production pipelines. And it should be a good long while before Preston and his ilk clued in to the world around them and began demanding concessions. And maybe, that wouldn't happen at all while they were kept sweet - now wouldn't that be something to marvel over?
The Prestons ran over the remaining paperwork, crossing the T's and dotting the I's as it were known. James and Paul helping themselves to refreshments as Lola and Rolf's staff went over the personnel files on the station.
What felt like hours had passed and surprisingly, none of those on board raised any immediate concern to Rolf's staff. With sighs of relief, the three made their way by escort back to the shuttle in which they'd came.
Rolf's staff escort continued all the way to the shuttle making its way back into mooring with the Ozymandias Orbital.
James ordered the return journey with haste back to the installation; A live comm was opened to all staff on board Outpost Ozymandias to share the success story.
Spirits were high, the only thing to do from here was make things official.
