Post by Romando07 on Nov 28, 2021 18:09:32 GMT
The galaxy is a ruthless endeavor for every company. Like a pack of ravenous beasts, whence one falls, there is seldom any waste left behind but the bones to prove its existence, and even those disappear when the Vultures come.
This would be a tale no different from the norm. With the severe damage to one of the local ship-building giants formerly known as the ROMB, now it was the job of the galactical locality to pick up due haste and fulfill the space that freed, profiting off a competitor’s demise, whether planned or not.
The much-prized market left behind was eyed on heavily by the CES Megacorporation, which now started to spread its tendrils of economic and political influence across the galactic locality. However, despite the ambition of the reptilians in charge, even their appraised coordinated industry couldn’t support the shift in production that taking over the ROMB’s previous markets would demand, and though the profit margin to acquire from this venture would make the bottom line of the company more than fulfilled, they also didn’t want to tie themselves into a loan, wanting to avoid on their best being subservient to another, larger corporation…
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Campose Verdese
CES Headquarters Building
The large hexagonal complex bursted with life from its employees, people moving to-and-fro from the coordination of the different subsidiaries and branches that took part in the gigantic hypertask that was running a corporate beast such as that. Across different levels and rooms there were no shortage of people carefully reading over information gathered from the thousands of logs registered, processing them into useful data for their beloved IPD system, which output their efforts into raw productivity.
However, above the rungs of offices and databanks sat comfortably in the center and well-protected the Board of Directors, a somewhat small room for the disproportionate size the Directors filled in the command chain of the CES. Moments earlier, the Management Board of the Shipbuilding Branch/Subsidiary of the CES had moved forward the planned decision, since the markets of the ROMB were to be overtaken and they lacked the sufficient investment for the moment, their calculations predicted that, to acquire sufficient funding to expand their operation, they’d need to sell the stocks of the Shipbuilding Division, precisely 20% with a small margin of error.
There was barely a discussion on the matter, though the consensus was of retaining their strong hand over the matters of the CES, they would have to take up foreign investments, unless they were drowned out by local competition. The motion passed without much counterpoint; however, the stocks were available for trading only with parties that the CES would consider trustworthy, making them news across the locality, but not available in larger stock markets such as the grindstone.
The small, sleek black and gold shuttle departed from Malaak shipyards soon after its construction and headed straight for the rising star in another sector of the galaxy: Campose Verdese, HQ of CES megacorporation. With the sudden destruction of most of ROMB and fleeing of the man arguably most responsible for it after its attackers, The Council was less than pleased, but they decided to let him go on his own way, knowing an opportunity to bring him back into the fold and use his experience and capabilities would come in later. Or the opportunity for an accident might present itself…
Either way, as opportunistic as ever The Council had decided to use this new hole in the market to their advantage. Gaining knowledge about CES from its other clients, looking over the history books and asking consultants for opinions, it was clear; the best way to exploit this would be to use this opportunity to get closer to CES and help fund their projects. This would be a good way to pay for the ongoing operation Jenga and massive colonization efforts back home, as well as leaving the door open for potentially getting into quite a cushy position where they would harvest data about the ongoing and planned projects and get their invested money back.
For this purpose, the luxury shuttle was built, designed for speed more so than being a space mansion, its lush interior still gave off an atmosphere of power while being minimalist in its design. Staffed with a few bodyguards and a diplomat, it was sent off to acquire the shares CES was selling.
Arriving on the edge of CES space, it announced its presence as a vessel belonging to AccroFinance and requested instructions and permission to go to CES HQ to discuss the announced purchase of stocks.
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As Sebastian waited for the ship to arrive to CES space, he became increasingly anxious; he had never encountered aliens before, nor was he technically a specially trained diplomat well versed in galactic affairs.
But what he was was a man on the run from those that would want him dead, so when he was contacted by The Council he could not refuse the opportunity to simply get out.
His uncertainty slowly vanished as the ship stopped on the edge of CES space.
He was a capable soldier and a dealmaker when required, and he would surely be able to complete this not-too-complicated task of buying stock from alien lizards he had never before encountered. Easy peasy.
He took a sip of water and patiently awaited the response.
Arriving at the system, Sebastian was met with the view of the headquarters of the megacorporation and the sort of rustic industrial beauty that came with any kind of endeavor of this magnitude. A plethora of stations dotted different geostationary orbits around the planets and the star, coordinating endless swarms of drones and vessels communicating the various points of the well-oiled industrial machine.
Indeed, what made the CES rise above the local competition of the Killian Verge was their unique methods of management and coordination. Though the details were unavailable to the public, they slowly had been gaining notoriety for a system named “Integrated Productive Database”, of the sorts that would make any engineer worth their name cream their pants. There was little doubt that weaving all of the miniscule cogs of this industrial machine were the strings of this database.
A relatively large ship came over from somewhere between the planet and the gas giant; It was a sort of automatic vessel. It stated that, for security reasons, FTL within the HQ system was forbidden, and transit was provided free of charge in sublight systems in pre-programmed routes. The ship soon continued its route elsewhere, providing the route maps to enter the CES HQ planet to the shuttle.
The voyage took a while longer, as the shuttle performed the entry burn towards the landing pad in the headquarter planet, it could see the large brutalist and green towers that dotted the landscape of the Mus’Vanus enterprise, monoliths of concrete built at an impressive speed. The shuttle landed within a large concrete pad in an array of other landing locations, a few kilometers away from the headquarters building proper, which loomed at the horizon. In wait, a few vehicles stood there for transportation, as well as a representative for the CES. A slim yet stout small lizardman bowed to Sebastian’s presence.
“I welcome the representative of AccroFinance to our planet. This vehicle will take you to your meeting. You will be interviewed for your compatibility within the CES enterprise, and will hear of the news of the approval of your investment or not in no more than three commercial days.” - The lizardmen sang, his voice strained slightly in speaking the language which was alien to him, however, he did so with impressive fluidity. He beckoned Sebastian to what seemed to be a luxury car, sleek and a pure matte black with steaks of the oranges, blues and greens of the CES logo.
While enjoying the ride in the shuttle, Sebastian had plenty of time to think. He was positively surprised by the apparent efficiency of those aliens. If he could dig out some of the intricacies of this system, he would surely benefit enormously from the good will of his bosses, but for now that remains a distant dream. He was comparing the differences of this system, bustling with activity, drones doing most of the work, the rapid industrialisation of space surely benefited CES enormously. Then he looked back at the image of his home which he had left just recently; massive rings of space platforms, the gigantic fleet anchored at the biggest station he had ever seen… thus far. There was no place for economic activity under The Council's regime; the access to space was strictly controlled and harshly militarized, with only a few companies from the most peaceful and developed nations being able to barely claw out a risky deal to start their space ventures.
Hopefully that would change sooner rather than later, for the benefit of his people.
The brutalist architecture he was greeted with caught his interest, and a lesser man might have been in awe; but he was Sebastian Lundron, he would not let himself be amazed by just the looks of a building, no matter which. Or at least he hoped so, for the future of his diplomatic career, it wouldn’t do well to be impressed by just aesthetics. What really mattered was the deal he came here to make.
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Upon landing, Sebastian elegantly got out of the shuttle and stood for a moment, breathing in the air of an alien planet for the first time. It was good to experience something new. When he saw the representative and heard his greetings, he gave the lizard a serious nod and said in fluent galactic standard; “As an AccroFinance representative I hope to establish a mutually profitable relationship, which we can promise you won’t regret. Thus far, I like what I am seeing, and the hospitality isn’t lacking either.”
Sebastian entered the car, a bit unsure if he said everything correctly in this weird language. But after all, if he wasn’t fluent and a quick learner when it came to languages, he would not have been chosen as a representative in the first place. As the car started to make its way towards the HQ, he thought now would be a prudent time to inquire further into how CES worked and its people.
“If you would be so kind as to answer some questions as we make our way towards the meeting… Our research shows Constructive Engineering Solutions has never put up a part of their stock, or stock of their subsidiaries, for sale. What changed this, is it safe to assume some big and maybe urgent plans need funding sooner rather than later? This wouldn’t be because of economic issues, surely? If the rumors of such were to come to light, it wouldn’t bode well for us… Or the opinion of your clients either. So it may be best if we clear this up now.”
The lizardman looked at Sebastian with a relatively friendly facade for a few moments. His eyes danced around the face of Sebastian, prying it for meaning and intent behind the words he just said, searching within his mind what would be the correct response. The air smelt like jungle, it weighted heavy upon Sebastian, an atmosphere most pleasant to the lizardmen with regular smooth breezes that kept them moist yet at a good temperature. Inside the car however, the ambience changed by the production of the car's own acclimatisation systems.
"We have a history of being privately traded in stock. However, only recently have come into the galactic scenario, there was no need or possibility for our enterprise to have peers amongst the stars. Seeking more competitivity, diversity, and a great influence over the markets, we have opened a promissing sector of one of your subsidiaries for potential buyers."
The speech was not canned, but it was not completely earnest as well. Sebastian however, was new to these silent diplomatic conflicts, whose methods of combat were stares, eloquency, and subtle facial expressions. His eyes could not pry more information from the lizardmen, and though he might not have been convinced by the answer, there was not much more insight to be gained by observation, lest he ask questions directly.
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The automatic luxury car arrived at the Headquarters, 8 grandiose pillars towered above a large hexagonal building, each pillar fashioned with its own large subsidiary, banks of processing, all assortments of meeting rooms and cubic offices and other constructs of the administrative world. Wether by large architecture or by the scale of engineering, perspective, something, as Sebastian stepped out the car and headed towards one of such pillars accompanied by his guide, he felt that the ground was weird, it has a weird energy, for a split second. Surely, simply his anxiety for the interview to come.
He was guided by the lizardmen and entered the opulent, modern and minimalistic interior environment of one of the towers. This one was not bustling with activity, a few straggling lizards moved to-and-fro from a collum of elevators, a rite which Sebastian partook in under the guidance of the accompanying lizardman. He read the elevator: Floor 53. They stopped and open ways into a corridor of smooth lodestone-like flooring and sleek grey walls with a slight tamper, lights hidden within an intricate ceiling pattern. The corridor branched off into three, and further down it, Sebastian was told to wait for a few minutes within a small waiting room with no more than 4 seats, none occupied.
After a few minutes, the large wooden door opened and from it was produced a tall lanky human in a suit. He stared at Sebastian for a few seconds, before moving away dissapearing within the corridors of the pillar. Naught but a few moments more, an aged Mus'Vanus appeared from the door, wearing a pair of glasses. He spoke, with clear intonations as for the language of Galactic Standard:
"AccroFinance. Sebastian, right? Well, you may come right in." - He jeered his head sideways. The inside was like a doctor's office, yet cozy by the woods of bookshelves riddled in finance books in Mus'Vanus script. Sebastian could seat in one of two woodden armchairs, as the lizardman sat on the other side of a sleek metal table. "So. You are here on the matters of the recently opened stock in our ship production subsidiary, correct?" - He opened up the conversation, no time spent dawdling.
Sebastian was still silently taking in the details of the architecture, the whole mood of the building he found himself in before he saw the human in a suit. He thought only aliens worked here? That would be a bit foolish, third party contractors were the norm and maximized efficiency. Or perhaps it was another representative of a company interested in buying? He would have to wait and see. He sat down opposite the aged lizard and made himself comfortable.
Sebastian accepted this direct approach gladly, taking initiative politely since the investors choose the company, not other way around most of the time. This was, however, a special case, so he remained open to negotiating and even answering questions that the older lizard had for him.
“That would be me, yes. We are willing to invest in your ventures when the money is needed the most, however there are some details that need to be discussed beforehand, just standard stuff really. If you have anything you might need to know about us regarding our compatibility, I assure you we would not have come here if both of our companies couldn’t benefit from this mutual cooperation. But please, do feel free to inquire. So, to get us started, I would require your desired price tag, a brief description of your outlook for the future of the company in question and rough plans for its continued development, including major projects that our money will go towards.”
The lizardman produced an apex cradle with his hands, apparently, he had studied a bit of the finer discourse that humans seemed to take, down to the rites of hand gesturing. He analyzed and scrutinized Sebastian's posture and eloquence, including the fact he jumped straight into a position of demand. All of these were subconcious notes in the flurry within the mind of the Mus'Vanus.
For a moment, he stopped and thought to himself about the extents he could provide for Sebastian in information, resuming shortly after:
"We have already inquired about the compatibility of AccroFinance within the CES, do not worry.
As for the matters of investment, our quarterly projection includes an increase in the volume of throughput to cater to the local demands. We have already partially started the motions of expansion as well as the opening of three more production sites to maximise the profits of our new products of the line in Ancerium Harvesting, I am sure you have done your study on those.
The shipbuilding subsidiary will also take another increase in productivity with the second release of the Equipment Renewal Order 1, apart from that, if AccroFinance acquires the shares, as a stockholder, you'll be informed of future projects as well." - It was somewhat clear that the lizardman was doing the rounds. Perhaps these questions had been asked before or perhaps not, however, the fact that they were cold-blooded made reading their motives that much harder compared to other human-like species of the gal
Sebastian had of course educated himself thoroughly in intricacies of how megacorporations would in theory work, something which he was now grateful for since he wouldn’t end up looking stupid. He was relaxed and firm, sitting straight up almost as if he was at attention, something that spoke about his past in the military. His position of demand was mostly entirely justified by the fact that he was the one with something that the lizard across the table needed, even if in practice Sebastian needed this personally too.
“I am glad to hear that. Pardon me for asking, but despite your so far well laid out plan I need to ask about your stance on selling ancerium itself. Considering that all projections point to the price quickly climbing to match the demand generated by galactic trade and ongoing military interventions, despite its sudden drop. Therefore, I just need to confirm your plans, be they selling it immediately or waiting for the prices to go up, as well as expected costs we could help cover while we await more favourable market conditions.”
He spoke clearly and with more confidence as the talks continued, likely because there was nothing to worry about so far for all he was concerned about. His tone and standing gave away nothing else despite lizardman’s efforts, Sebastian just waited patiently on the response.
The lizardman looked up somewhat inquisitively upon Sebastian. He had done his research, yet, it seemed he had not done enough.
"Ah yes. I assume you are talking about the newest Ancerium bulk purchase and deposit within the so-called "Big Hex", yes?"
He stopped for a moment, considering how much the human might now of the plans of the CES, however public available they may be, continuing a moment later.
"It is a strategic maneuver in nature. The cost of purchase and storage is objectively lower with this crash than the cost of Ancerium on a pre-crash market. The calculation is simple. However, the future of this asset is still to be determined. For the moment, we are using it to manage the reserves for our most varied fleets, however, if demand picks up in the market and it is deemed a safe maneuver to exchange the supply for SIGEC, then it is a possibility. It is an investment, after all."
The lizardman was unwielding. All the information was presented in such a way that it seemed not only factual but evident, maxims of this small reality, a pocket universe where the only two entities were the lizardman and Sebastian caught within a whirlwind of political and economical nuance. It's obvious, with the market crash, the possibility of war, the desires of the CES and their ERO-1. However, no matter how evident all of this road was, there was no way for Sebastian to accuratly peer into the inner intentions of the lizardman secluded within a stronghouse of secrets. Whatever the exact plans for the Ancerium purchase were, he had the feeling that they were not to be taken lightly.
“Very well, with that formality settled, all that remains is the money. Given the current yearly production and reliance of CES as a whole on this entity, my higher ups are willing to invest 56 thousand SIGEC into this endeavour. This amount should be enough to cover the expenses of your current and planned projects, as well as speak for itself when it comes to how serious we are about this deal. Given our proximity in certain economic zones of interest, there will be room for mutual cooperation. Perhaps, we could lend a hand if there is a situation in which you would need… third party support. Now, if there are no questions left to ask, time has come to finish this.”
Sebastian readied the papers his superiors had handed out to him for CES representative to sign off on, which laid out in detail terms of the agreement, payment method and so on, including a clause which stated that Sebastian would remain on Campose Verdese as a representative.
The lizardman acquired the papers into his hand and quickly scoured over the first 3 pages or so of the document in a quick read, then, he deposited the papers underneath the large desk. From underneath the desk and in the same motion he produced a device no larger than could fit in his hand. He laid it on the surface of the table, and activating a kind of mechanism on the grip itself the device unfolded itself and extended to about the size of a sheet of paper, its center a sheet opaque as if made by an entraped thick oil. Light shot through the medium, filling it with color and imagery.
"This is a holographic tablet. You may reside here for the time being, for ease of transportation. I will take the papers up the chain of management. We will contact you if further inquiries are required through this device. For now, that is all."
He pressed once again the button upon the grip and the telescoping device retracted in its totality back to the grip-sized utensil, which he carefully slid across the table towards Sebastian
Sebastian nodded and took the tablet, inspecting it to see what all it could do. He then got up and asked the lizardman:
"Very well. I shall await the final answer patiently."
At least he secured himself a place to be, as far from Malaak as he could feasibly get for the time being. He would be safe here, and bide his time until next task comes in... and In the meantime, he would get himself acquainted with the wonders of a quite literally alien cousine, hoping that they eat something he could also enjoy. This would mark an important step in SCUM's plans to secure their position in the galaxy and ability to extend their influence outwards, but that was none of his concern...
For now.
This would be a tale no different from the norm. With the severe damage to one of the local ship-building giants formerly known as the ROMB, now it was the job of the galactical locality to pick up due haste and fulfill the space that freed, profiting off a competitor’s demise, whether planned or not.
The much-prized market left behind was eyed on heavily by the CES Megacorporation, which now started to spread its tendrils of economic and political influence across the galactic locality. However, despite the ambition of the reptilians in charge, even their appraised coordinated industry couldn’t support the shift in production that taking over the ROMB’s previous markets would demand, and though the profit margin to acquire from this venture would make the bottom line of the company more than fulfilled, they also didn’t want to tie themselves into a loan, wanting to avoid on their best being subservient to another, larger corporation…
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Campose Verdese
CES Headquarters Building
The large hexagonal complex bursted with life from its employees, people moving to-and-fro from the coordination of the different subsidiaries and branches that took part in the gigantic hypertask that was running a corporate beast such as that. Across different levels and rooms there were no shortage of people carefully reading over information gathered from the thousands of logs registered, processing them into useful data for their beloved IPD system, which output their efforts into raw productivity.
However, above the rungs of offices and databanks sat comfortably in the center and well-protected the Board of Directors, a somewhat small room for the disproportionate size the Directors filled in the command chain of the CES. Moments earlier, the Management Board of the Shipbuilding Branch/Subsidiary of the CES had moved forward the planned decision, since the markets of the ROMB were to be overtaken and they lacked the sufficient investment for the moment, their calculations predicted that, to acquire sufficient funding to expand their operation, they’d need to sell the stocks of the Shipbuilding Division, precisely 20% with a small margin of error.
There was barely a discussion on the matter, though the consensus was of retaining their strong hand over the matters of the CES, they would have to take up foreign investments, unless they were drowned out by local competition. The motion passed without much counterpoint; however, the stocks were available for trading only with parties that the CES would consider trustworthy, making them news across the locality, but not available in larger stock markets such as the grindstone.
The small, sleek black and gold shuttle departed from Malaak shipyards soon after its construction and headed straight for the rising star in another sector of the galaxy: Campose Verdese, HQ of CES megacorporation. With the sudden destruction of most of ROMB and fleeing of the man arguably most responsible for it after its attackers, The Council was less than pleased, but they decided to let him go on his own way, knowing an opportunity to bring him back into the fold and use his experience and capabilities would come in later. Or the opportunity for an accident might present itself…
Either way, as opportunistic as ever The Council had decided to use this new hole in the market to their advantage. Gaining knowledge about CES from its other clients, looking over the history books and asking consultants for opinions, it was clear; the best way to exploit this would be to use this opportunity to get closer to CES and help fund their projects. This would be a good way to pay for the ongoing operation Jenga and massive colonization efforts back home, as well as leaving the door open for potentially getting into quite a cushy position where they would harvest data about the ongoing and planned projects and get their invested money back.
For this purpose, the luxury shuttle was built, designed for speed more so than being a space mansion, its lush interior still gave off an atmosphere of power while being minimalist in its design. Staffed with a few bodyguards and a diplomat, it was sent off to acquire the shares CES was selling.
Arriving on the edge of CES space, it announced its presence as a vessel belonging to AccroFinance and requested instructions and permission to go to CES HQ to discuss the announced purchase of stocks.
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As Sebastian waited for the ship to arrive to CES space, he became increasingly anxious; he had never encountered aliens before, nor was he technically a specially trained diplomat well versed in galactic affairs.
But what he was was a man on the run from those that would want him dead, so when he was contacted by The Council he could not refuse the opportunity to simply get out.
His uncertainty slowly vanished as the ship stopped on the edge of CES space.
He was a capable soldier and a dealmaker when required, and he would surely be able to complete this not-too-complicated task of buying stock from alien lizards he had never before encountered. Easy peasy.
He took a sip of water and patiently awaited the response.
Arriving at the system, Sebastian was met with the view of the headquarters of the megacorporation and the sort of rustic industrial beauty that came with any kind of endeavor of this magnitude. A plethora of stations dotted different geostationary orbits around the planets and the star, coordinating endless swarms of drones and vessels communicating the various points of the well-oiled industrial machine.
Indeed, what made the CES rise above the local competition of the Killian Verge was their unique methods of management and coordination. Though the details were unavailable to the public, they slowly had been gaining notoriety for a system named “Integrated Productive Database”, of the sorts that would make any engineer worth their name cream their pants. There was little doubt that weaving all of the miniscule cogs of this industrial machine were the strings of this database.
A relatively large ship came over from somewhere between the planet and the gas giant; It was a sort of automatic vessel. It stated that, for security reasons, FTL within the HQ system was forbidden, and transit was provided free of charge in sublight systems in pre-programmed routes. The ship soon continued its route elsewhere, providing the route maps to enter the CES HQ planet to the shuttle.
The voyage took a while longer, as the shuttle performed the entry burn towards the landing pad in the headquarter planet, it could see the large brutalist and green towers that dotted the landscape of the Mus’Vanus enterprise, monoliths of concrete built at an impressive speed. The shuttle landed within a large concrete pad in an array of other landing locations, a few kilometers away from the headquarters building proper, which loomed at the horizon. In wait, a few vehicles stood there for transportation, as well as a representative for the CES. A slim yet stout small lizardman bowed to Sebastian’s presence.
“I welcome the representative of AccroFinance to our planet. This vehicle will take you to your meeting. You will be interviewed for your compatibility within the CES enterprise, and will hear of the news of the approval of your investment or not in no more than three commercial days.” - The lizardmen sang, his voice strained slightly in speaking the language which was alien to him, however, he did so with impressive fluidity. He beckoned Sebastian to what seemed to be a luxury car, sleek and a pure matte black with steaks of the oranges, blues and greens of the CES logo.
While enjoying the ride in the shuttle, Sebastian had plenty of time to think. He was positively surprised by the apparent efficiency of those aliens. If he could dig out some of the intricacies of this system, he would surely benefit enormously from the good will of his bosses, but for now that remains a distant dream. He was comparing the differences of this system, bustling with activity, drones doing most of the work, the rapid industrialisation of space surely benefited CES enormously. Then he looked back at the image of his home which he had left just recently; massive rings of space platforms, the gigantic fleet anchored at the biggest station he had ever seen… thus far. There was no place for economic activity under The Council's regime; the access to space was strictly controlled and harshly militarized, with only a few companies from the most peaceful and developed nations being able to barely claw out a risky deal to start their space ventures.
Hopefully that would change sooner rather than later, for the benefit of his people.
The brutalist architecture he was greeted with caught his interest, and a lesser man might have been in awe; but he was Sebastian Lundron, he would not let himself be amazed by just the looks of a building, no matter which. Or at least he hoped so, for the future of his diplomatic career, it wouldn’t do well to be impressed by just aesthetics. What really mattered was the deal he came here to make.
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Upon landing, Sebastian elegantly got out of the shuttle and stood for a moment, breathing in the air of an alien planet for the first time. It was good to experience something new. When he saw the representative and heard his greetings, he gave the lizard a serious nod and said in fluent galactic standard; “As an AccroFinance representative I hope to establish a mutually profitable relationship, which we can promise you won’t regret. Thus far, I like what I am seeing, and the hospitality isn’t lacking either.”
Sebastian entered the car, a bit unsure if he said everything correctly in this weird language. But after all, if he wasn’t fluent and a quick learner when it came to languages, he would not have been chosen as a representative in the first place. As the car started to make its way towards the HQ, he thought now would be a prudent time to inquire further into how CES worked and its people.
“If you would be so kind as to answer some questions as we make our way towards the meeting… Our research shows Constructive Engineering Solutions has never put up a part of their stock, or stock of their subsidiaries, for sale. What changed this, is it safe to assume some big and maybe urgent plans need funding sooner rather than later? This wouldn’t be because of economic issues, surely? If the rumors of such were to come to light, it wouldn’t bode well for us… Or the opinion of your clients either. So it may be best if we clear this up now.”
The lizardman looked at Sebastian with a relatively friendly facade for a few moments. His eyes danced around the face of Sebastian, prying it for meaning and intent behind the words he just said, searching within his mind what would be the correct response. The air smelt like jungle, it weighted heavy upon Sebastian, an atmosphere most pleasant to the lizardmen with regular smooth breezes that kept them moist yet at a good temperature. Inside the car however, the ambience changed by the production of the car's own acclimatisation systems.
"We have a history of being privately traded in stock. However, only recently have come into the galactic scenario, there was no need or possibility for our enterprise to have peers amongst the stars. Seeking more competitivity, diversity, and a great influence over the markets, we have opened a promissing sector of one of your subsidiaries for potential buyers."
The speech was not canned, but it was not completely earnest as well. Sebastian however, was new to these silent diplomatic conflicts, whose methods of combat were stares, eloquency, and subtle facial expressions. His eyes could not pry more information from the lizardmen, and though he might not have been convinced by the answer, there was not much more insight to be gained by observation, lest he ask questions directly.
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The automatic luxury car arrived at the Headquarters, 8 grandiose pillars towered above a large hexagonal building, each pillar fashioned with its own large subsidiary, banks of processing, all assortments of meeting rooms and cubic offices and other constructs of the administrative world. Wether by large architecture or by the scale of engineering, perspective, something, as Sebastian stepped out the car and headed towards one of such pillars accompanied by his guide, he felt that the ground was weird, it has a weird energy, for a split second. Surely, simply his anxiety for the interview to come.
He was guided by the lizardmen and entered the opulent, modern and minimalistic interior environment of one of the towers. This one was not bustling with activity, a few straggling lizards moved to-and-fro from a collum of elevators, a rite which Sebastian partook in under the guidance of the accompanying lizardman. He read the elevator: Floor 53. They stopped and open ways into a corridor of smooth lodestone-like flooring and sleek grey walls with a slight tamper, lights hidden within an intricate ceiling pattern. The corridor branched off into three, and further down it, Sebastian was told to wait for a few minutes within a small waiting room with no more than 4 seats, none occupied.
After a few minutes, the large wooden door opened and from it was produced a tall lanky human in a suit. He stared at Sebastian for a few seconds, before moving away dissapearing within the corridors of the pillar. Naught but a few moments more, an aged Mus'Vanus appeared from the door, wearing a pair of glasses. He spoke, with clear intonations as for the language of Galactic Standard:
"AccroFinance. Sebastian, right? Well, you may come right in." - He jeered his head sideways. The inside was like a doctor's office, yet cozy by the woods of bookshelves riddled in finance books in Mus'Vanus script. Sebastian could seat in one of two woodden armchairs, as the lizardman sat on the other side of a sleek metal table. "So. You are here on the matters of the recently opened stock in our ship production subsidiary, correct?" - He opened up the conversation, no time spent dawdling.
Sebastian was still silently taking in the details of the architecture, the whole mood of the building he found himself in before he saw the human in a suit. He thought only aliens worked here? That would be a bit foolish, third party contractors were the norm and maximized efficiency. Or perhaps it was another representative of a company interested in buying? He would have to wait and see. He sat down opposite the aged lizard and made himself comfortable.
Sebastian accepted this direct approach gladly, taking initiative politely since the investors choose the company, not other way around most of the time. This was, however, a special case, so he remained open to negotiating and even answering questions that the older lizard had for him.
“That would be me, yes. We are willing to invest in your ventures when the money is needed the most, however there are some details that need to be discussed beforehand, just standard stuff really. If you have anything you might need to know about us regarding our compatibility, I assure you we would not have come here if both of our companies couldn’t benefit from this mutual cooperation. But please, do feel free to inquire. So, to get us started, I would require your desired price tag, a brief description of your outlook for the future of the company in question and rough plans for its continued development, including major projects that our money will go towards.”
The lizardman produced an apex cradle with his hands, apparently, he had studied a bit of the finer discourse that humans seemed to take, down to the rites of hand gesturing. He analyzed and scrutinized Sebastian's posture and eloquence, including the fact he jumped straight into a position of demand. All of these were subconcious notes in the flurry within the mind of the Mus'Vanus.
For a moment, he stopped and thought to himself about the extents he could provide for Sebastian in information, resuming shortly after:
"We have already inquired about the compatibility of AccroFinance within the CES, do not worry.
As for the matters of investment, our quarterly projection includes an increase in the volume of throughput to cater to the local demands. We have already partially started the motions of expansion as well as the opening of three more production sites to maximise the profits of our new products of the line in Ancerium Harvesting, I am sure you have done your study on those.
The shipbuilding subsidiary will also take another increase in productivity with the second release of the Equipment Renewal Order 1, apart from that, if AccroFinance acquires the shares, as a stockholder, you'll be informed of future projects as well." - It was somewhat clear that the lizardman was doing the rounds. Perhaps these questions had been asked before or perhaps not, however, the fact that they were cold-blooded made reading their motives that much harder compared to other human-like species of the gal
Sebastian had of course educated himself thoroughly in intricacies of how megacorporations would in theory work, something which he was now grateful for since he wouldn’t end up looking stupid. He was relaxed and firm, sitting straight up almost as if he was at attention, something that spoke about his past in the military. His position of demand was mostly entirely justified by the fact that he was the one with something that the lizard across the table needed, even if in practice Sebastian needed this personally too.
“I am glad to hear that. Pardon me for asking, but despite your so far well laid out plan I need to ask about your stance on selling ancerium itself. Considering that all projections point to the price quickly climbing to match the demand generated by galactic trade and ongoing military interventions, despite its sudden drop. Therefore, I just need to confirm your plans, be they selling it immediately or waiting for the prices to go up, as well as expected costs we could help cover while we await more favourable market conditions.”
He spoke clearly and with more confidence as the talks continued, likely because there was nothing to worry about so far for all he was concerned about. His tone and standing gave away nothing else despite lizardman’s efforts, Sebastian just waited patiently on the response.
The lizardman looked up somewhat inquisitively upon Sebastian. He had done his research, yet, it seemed he had not done enough.
"Ah yes. I assume you are talking about the newest Ancerium bulk purchase and deposit within the so-called "Big Hex", yes?"
He stopped for a moment, considering how much the human might now of the plans of the CES, however public available they may be, continuing a moment later.
"It is a strategic maneuver in nature. The cost of purchase and storage is objectively lower with this crash than the cost of Ancerium on a pre-crash market. The calculation is simple. However, the future of this asset is still to be determined. For the moment, we are using it to manage the reserves for our most varied fleets, however, if demand picks up in the market and it is deemed a safe maneuver to exchange the supply for SIGEC, then it is a possibility. It is an investment, after all."
The lizardman was unwielding. All the information was presented in such a way that it seemed not only factual but evident, maxims of this small reality, a pocket universe where the only two entities were the lizardman and Sebastian caught within a whirlwind of political and economical nuance. It's obvious, with the market crash, the possibility of war, the desires of the CES and their ERO-1. However, no matter how evident all of this road was, there was no way for Sebastian to accuratly peer into the inner intentions of the lizardman secluded within a stronghouse of secrets. Whatever the exact plans for the Ancerium purchase were, he had the feeling that they were not to be taken lightly.
“Very well, with that formality settled, all that remains is the money. Given the current yearly production and reliance of CES as a whole on this entity, my higher ups are willing to invest 56 thousand SIGEC into this endeavour. This amount should be enough to cover the expenses of your current and planned projects, as well as speak for itself when it comes to how serious we are about this deal. Given our proximity in certain economic zones of interest, there will be room for mutual cooperation. Perhaps, we could lend a hand if there is a situation in which you would need… third party support. Now, if there are no questions left to ask, time has come to finish this.”
Sebastian readied the papers his superiors had handed out to him for CES representative to sign off on, which laid out in detail terms of the agreement, payment method and so on, including a clause which stated that Sebastian would remain on Campose Verdese as a representative.
The lizardman acquired the papers into his hand and quickly scoured over the first 3 pages or so of the document in a quick read, then, he deposited the papers underneath the large desk. From underneath the desk and in the same motion he produced a device no larger than could fit in his hand. He laid it on the surface of the table, and activating a kind of mechanism on the grip itself the device unfolded itself and extended to about the size of a sheet of paper, its center a sheet opaque as if made by an entraped thick oil. Light shot through the medium, filling it with color and imagery.
"This is a holographic tablet. You may reside here for the time being, for ease of transportation. I will take the papers up the chain of management. We will contact you if further inquiries are required through this device. For now, that is all."
He pressed once again the button upon the grip and the telescoping device retracted in its totality back to the grip-sized utensil, which he carefully slid across the table towards Sebastian
Sebastian nodded and took the tablet, inspecting it to see what all it could do. He then got up and asked the lizardman:
"Very well. I shall await the final answer patiently."
At least he secured himself a place to be, as far from Malaak as he could feasibly get for the time being. He would be safe here, and bide his time until next task comes in... and In the meantime, he would get himself acquainted with the wonders of a quite literally alien cousine, hoping that they eat something he could also enjoy. This would mark an important step in SCUM's plans to secure their position in the galaxy and ability to extend their influence outwards, but that was none of his concern...
For now.