The Acquisition

[OutpostOzymandias]

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.”

He sits back down gently.