STF

Meeting with the Governor

Posted April 15, 2021, 3:59 p.m. by Civilian Kenzo B'tren-Hyrushi (Governor) (James Sinclair)

Posted by Civilian Lucas Elliot Holloway (Business Owner) in Meeting with the Governor

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Meeting with the Governor

Posted by Civilian Lucas Elliot Holloway (Business Owner) in Meeting with the Governor
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻
The impeccably dressed Chief Operating Officer of Holloway Heavy Industries, Dominique Alexis Bruner, stood outside the Transporter Arrivals Pad looking slightly impatient as looked at her chrono for the fifth time since arriving at OED’s Government Tower and sighed as her eyes cut sharply to the smartly groomed (and painfully obvious) Corporate Security Agent. As she did, the Agent spoke into his wrist comm and a moment later returned his eyes to the COO. “Platform confirms the Cavalier’s arrival Ms. Bruner… something about popping in basically on top of them. They fuzzed the sensors when the Platform went Active. Platform Control said they should be down any minute.” There was a huff from the woman as she looked back to Arrivals Lobby entrance, running her fingers through her shoulder-length dark chestnut hair before turning back to the Agent. “My God Malcolm, its like he has absolutely no clue about how to maintain a personal schedule! 14 damn years I’ve known him and still… I don’t think he’s been on time more than half a dozen times!”

“Now now Alex, I wouldn’t go that far.” Came the voice to her left and Bruner closed her eyes, took a slow breath, then turned to face the approaching party. “Yes… but it’s not that much of a stretch, is it Lucas?” The party of four came to a stop and Holloway’s broad smile met hers. “Come on Alex…” He began as he extended his hand, giving a playful wink. “… you know you missed me” Bruner laughed as she shook the offered hand. “Not even a little…” She winked in response before shifting to the rest of the party. “… but these two…” Alex dropped the hand shake and wrapped her arms around Rainer in a warm embrace. The women shared a tight hug before Alex leaned back and smiled. “It’s good to see you Kit…” Bruner said as she greeted the uniformed Captain of the Cavalier. “You too Alex” The Captain beamed. “And you!” Alexis turned to the head of Holloway’s now permanent Security Detail, nearly jumping into the arms of the embarrassed Security Chief. Kissing him on the cheek, Alex squeezed him tight. “How’s the world’s most adorable little brother?!” Glowing in embarrassment, the Security Chief pried himself free and after tugging his jacket straight, glared at his eldest sister in annoyance. “I’m perfectly fine Dom’…” He growled in frustration as his charge snickered softly beside him. “… it’s not like we didn’t see each other six weeks ago at mom’s birthday party.” “Oh…” Alexis began as she attempted to pinch the man’s cheek before he pulled away. “… a girl just isn’t allowed to miss her baby brother anymore?” “Not…” He growled. “… in the middle of an Arrivals Lounge. You do know they tried to blow him up… right?!” He snapped under his breath and Alexis finally caved, knowing Andrew was in no mood to play. “Hell… you’re never any fun!” Reaching past him, Alexis shook the other man’s hand. “It’s nice to see you Michael.” “You as well Ms. Bruner” Came the welcome from Holloway’s Chief of Staff. With that, Alexis turned back to Lucas. “Shall we? Your meeting is in less than ten minutes…” She began before motioning up. “And its at the top of one big frackin’ building!”

(9 minutes later)

The majority of the party both with Lucas and Alexis had disbursed by the time he and Alexis, along with Andrew, entered the lift to the Governor’s Office. The trio stepped out into the lobby and walked toward the receptionist’s desk. Stopping just before the desk, Lucas flashed a charming smile. “Pardon me… Lucas Holloway to see the Governor. We’re expected.”

Holloway & Bruner

Before the receptionist could reply, the doors to the inner office swung open and a distinguished looking human stepped into the waiting area. He was dressed in a subdued navy suit with a dark red shirt and a tie the same color of the suit. He had long black hair that was impeccably styled in a traditional Asian style form Earth - long and straight, with the front pulled back along the sides of his head and tied on the back of his head so that it hung in a sort-of pony tail on top of the long hair hanging straight down to just below his shoulder blades. His almond-shaped eyes held jet black eyes with no whites.

And he did not look pleased.

“Mr. Holloway. I am Governor B’tren-Hyrushi.” he said flatly with no hint of warmth. “Please. Come in. Your entourage is welcome to wait here.” His tone said the matter was not up for discussion.

Hyrushi, Governor

Lucas’ body language frosted for just a moment. Oh for the love of God! The magnate thought as he turned to Alexis and sighed softly. “You two wait over there… I’ll be out in a few. No argument Andy. No one’s gonna get me way the hell up here.” Without another word, Holloway marched after the Governor while Alexis looked to Andrew as they walked to the waiting area. “This could be the longest… or shortest meeting in the history of the company Andy.”

Holloway walked through the doors and didn’t even allow them to close before he started in, as Alexis visibly winced in the lobby. “Is there a particular reason my number #2 is being....” The door closed, sealing off the lobby to the rest of Lucas’ increasingly annoyed tone.

”… shut out of this meeting Governor Hyrushi?! Ms. Bruner is a fine, capable woman that ran my entire company while I took a year off to come all the way out here to serve as Head of the Chamber under the Dome! I came here today because of that connection… because I want to move my company… 20,000 employees and their families… and around 20 billion in infrastructure improvement and support here. Now if you wanna disrespect me and my COO… I can beam us right the hell back up to the Cavalier and be in Central Park in time for lunch!” Lucas’ hand came down hard on the edge of the Governor’s desk as the man glared defiantly at the Governor.

Rather Pissed Holloway

Just as he uttered the words ‘number #2’ Nyx stepped out from a corner of the room and made her presence known. It might be a good thing to let Holloway know that Kenzo’s security was present and accounted for. She took a position at the front, right, corner of the desk where she could get between the men if the need arose.

Kenzo moved fluidly around the desk and sat down, his fingers interlaced and sat slowly on his desk. As Holloway’s hand came down on the desk, Kenzo looked directly at Halloway and said “Sit down, Mr Holloway.” and one hand raised and, palm upward, gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

Lucas’ eyes flashed cold anger as Nyx stepped up in a defensive manner before he took a sharp, deep breath and made an exasperated gesture toward the woman as he turned towards the chairs. “Christ woman…! I’m not gonna hit the man! Stand down… I’ve had enough trigger happy nonsense in the last half hour!” Holloway said as he sat down in the chair to the Governor’s left.

“I am well aware of why you are here. And while the relocation of Holloway Heavy Industries would be a great boon for the colony… sir… that does not give you, nor your staff, the right to castigate and ridicule the space traffic control staff… or myself… nor does it give you leeway to believe that your money and company allow you to make the rules. When you deal with colony personnel or residents, Mr. Holloway, I expect you and your staff to be courteous and polite at all times.” and he took a small pause.

Holloway leaned forward and looked as though he might start in again but took a slow breath before motioning the Governor to continue.

“Now then… I am not disrespecting your staff. Quite the opposite. I did not wish to discuss your ship’s commander’s behavior in front of anyone but you… and now I do not wish to discuss your behavior in front of your subordinates. I do not know how things were done when you were last here, sir. But now is not then. So you will treat me and colonial staff with respect, sir. Your money and influence may do many things… but they do not buy my tolerance for such behavior. Are we clear, Mr. Holloway? Because if we are not, I can recommend a very good Indian restaurant just outside of Central Park on the north side. Their vindaloo is exquisite.”

Hyrushi, Governor

Sinayda stood calmly, her focus on Mr Holloway. Today she was dressed in her usual black, leather attire, but a dark red lace shirt showed beneath the jacket. “The Governor is a stickler for manners—and he’s right about the vindaloo.”

—Nyx

“Captain Rainer was merely protecting me, Governor. I was nearly killed and my personal chauffeur had to be picked up in buckets not even a damn month ago.” Holloway snapped harshly but with more calm than before. “So… if you’ll forgive my support of my company’s senior Captain trying not to get my ass blown up… I personally think she did exactly what she should have.” Lucas glared back in icy calm. “If that kid you have in charge up there… right now… hadn’t lit up my ship, which has NO weapons or shields, before my Skipper even had a chance to do identify herself… she wouldn’t have snowballed the platform’s sensors!”

“And had you announced your arrival or sent word prior, then he would have expected you. As it is… sir… we have raiders and pirates enough to deal with. Surprise ‘guests’ are treated the same regardless of their financial standing. I offer my condolences for the loss of your driver, Mr. Holloway. But that still does not justify your ship Captain’s actions. You should be thankful it was our civilian traffic control you were dealing with. The Star Fleet squadron is far less… reasonable.”

Holloway paused, taking a deep breath and sighing softly. “Look… us being pissed at each other is pointless. I want to do business here Governor… but I would ask you have a conversation with your watch officer. Not all of my ships are as… harmless… as the Cavalier. And those that aren’t so harmless are fully authorized under Letters as Federation recognized Armed Merchant Ships.”

“Oh, I am not mad at you Mr. Holloway. I understand that you are under a great deal of stress right now. Moving your operations is no small feat, and the attempt on your life is sure to have you on edge. It is quite understandable. That being said… I suggest you make it known to your ships that Oed V Orbital Platforms have authorization to lock weapons on any unauthorized craft arriving in the vicinity unannounced. Simply let us know you are coming. It’s just… manners.”

“Anyway…” Lucas sighed once more. “… I’m sorry for losing my temper. Now, can we get Alexis in here and get down to business?”

Holloway

Hyrushi bowed his head slightly in acceptance of the apology. He didn’t speak, he just nodded once to Nyx to let the others in.

Hyrushi, Governor

Moments later, Alexis and Michael strode into the office… with Holloway Heavy’s COO sitting in the chair next to Lucas while Michael stood behind Lucas to his right, his eyes bright and the archaic pad & pen in his hands at the ready.

“Governor Hyrushi…” Lucas began, nailing the pronunciation with grace and precision. “… this is my Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Dominique Bruner…” He motioned to the sharply dressed woman across in the other facing chair, who smiled politely at the Governor and nodded. “… and this is Michael Falkland, my Chief of Staff.” Holloway motioned to the man behind him.

Hyrushi stood and bowed slightly at each, shaking hands in turn. “Governor Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi. My aid, Ms. Nyx.” he said with a gesture to Sin. “I apologize for the… miscommunication… upon your arrival; but I believe Mr. Holloway and I have agreed upon a plan to ensure such incidents do not become commonplace.” and he gestured for each to be seated.

“I understand you’re quite busy…” Holloway continued after the introductions. “… so we’re not going to waste time beating around the bush. Holloway Heavy Industries… with all but one of our facilities and ancillary corporations… Holloway Starliners, Holloway Defense & Strategic Services, the Advanced Research & Development Laboratories, Holloway Stardrives… as well as Holloway Security Services and the Wright Flight Testing Center… will be relocating to a non-Sol location and we want to come here.” Lucas paused and then looked straight at the Governor as he leaned back slightly and sighed. “This is the largest relocation in the near 300 year history of the Holloway companies and the first since Phillip Holloway moved the headquarters to St. Louis in 2278 from Houston. More importantly, the vision Dominique… myself… and my parents have for the future of this company is to centralize our efforts while continuing to be one of the leading privately held firms in the Federation.”

“I am more than passingly familiar with your corporation. And such a move is indeed momentous. We are honored that you would consider Oed V as your new home.” Kenzo said with sincere appreciation.

“In general, we want the Holloway company under one… roof… you might say.” Lucas motioned to the Dome visible out the window behind the Governor. “More importantly, we want a place for close to 75,000 people who either work for us… or are dependents of those that do… to have a home. We would like that to be here. Now…” Holloway looked to Alexis for just a moment before looking back at the Governor. “To facilitate this, to have work and living space close and the ability to build our own support infrastructure… Ms. Bruner recommends that the space requirements for this endeavor, not including access to place an orbiting installation in geo-sync above the ground based installation, would be approximately 5,000 acres with at least 200 meters clearance above and below.”

Holloway, HHI

Kenzo steepled his finger tips together and pursed his lips. He sat in silence for a moment and then leaned forward and placed his hands flat on the table.

“That is a large group of people, Mr. Holloway. And an even larger amount of space you are asking for in a city already pressed for such. I am sure you have done your research, but let me reiterate: Our colony is under a dome. Outside of that is a planet who lost it’s atmosphere some years ago. Completely uninhabitable. Five thousand acres simply does not exist with the dome… not as a single area, at least. So I am afraid that I cannot provide you what you seek…” and he paused and looked directly at Holloway.

“At least… not right now. But…” and he stood and went to the window and looked out over the city, “… perhaps if you were willing to facilitate an exchange, that could be arranged.” and he turned and looked at Holloway. This could be the key, Kenzo thought to himself.

“I have a new Director on staff. Quite the capable terraformer. Together, we have devised a plan to revitalize the planet outside the dome while simultaneously expanding the current dome. That plan, however, discounts a piece of technology that we simply did not feel was within the realm of possibility.” and he came and sat back down and looked at Holloway.

“Planetary atmospheric shields. Capable of containing an artificially generated atmosphere. If you could provide those, I will see that you get your
five thousand acres. And to make that more financially feasible, I will agree to tax incentives that will equate a total annual expenditure on your part of, say… thirty percent of the going rate of assessed developmental value? And Orbital space at the same rate on a one-hundred year lease? And ownership of the land, of course. I would like you to feel invested in the colony’s future.”

Hyrushi, Governor

Holloway looked deep in thought, clearly to Alexis… he was running numbers through that brilliant brain of his… and his glance at Michael, now seated in a chair beside him, confirmed her suspicions. The Chief of Staff was writing, doing the math first by hand then quickly confirming on a PaDD under his notepad. He looked… excited. Alexis had rarely seen the former Columbia University Economics professor look anything other than bored. Without a word, Falkland leaned over to show Lucas something on the PaDD and the Chairman’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly. You’re sure? Alexis read the near soundless question on Lucas’ lips before Michael looked at him very sternly and gave a single, choppy nod.

Lucas leaned back in the chair once more and the look in his eyes made Alexis’ heart race as he looked at her for the briefest of moments before tugging his jacket straight, turning back to the Governor. “Sir… the ARDL is still a bit away from the wall shields you’re describing.... though…” He pursued his lips before continuing. “… the 4th Generation Legion Shield System for orbital platforms has proven semi-reliable in maintaining a pressurized atmosphere similar to Yorktown, but it’s been primarily used for orbital crops. Workers remain in envirosuits for their own safety and are warned that while the air is quite breathable, if they happen to have their helmet off when there’s a power failure.... which I must point out, has never happened with Holloway Strat-Serv systems… they’d be dead before they could put their helmet in both hands, much less on. Now… a planet-based system…” Lucas continued with a smile first toward the Governor then to Alexis, before looking back at the OED Chief. “… could have the kind of power plant redundancies we just can’t put on a Space Station. My best guess is there would need to be 24 power plants to support the 48 emitters needed to cover the planet… of course… this could be scaled up over time. The emitters would overlap by nearly 50% with each neighboring emitter, so fluctuations in power would always have backup. Now… Mike recommends a scaled approach, with four emitters and corresponding plants that would create a bubble… if you will… over the Dome and the surrounding 50 clicks. Once sealed, it should take six months to develop a Class M atmosphere.”

“We can do it in four, but I understand your timeline.” Hyrushi said.

“Total initial cost estimate is around 15 billion…” Lucas began but smiled. “… about one twentieth the cost of building a dome of comparable size. Now, understand… that’s not a defensive shield… that is an atmospheric shield. Even Yorktown has a physical structure, so if asteroids remain an issue… living and occupied spaces would need to remain under some kind of structure but Mike believes it can be done… sooner than later… within our reach. It’s not going to be cheap and as with anything on a damn near planetary scale… there’s bound to be complications. But I think we can do it.... however… we need space. If I can’t get the ground space for multiple installations…” Lucas sighed and gave Alexis… a woman who, despite her own love of space travel, had always had a bit of an issue with vertigo… an apologetic smile. “… we’re just gonna have to build a tower. How tall is this building again Governor?”

Holloway

Kenzo smiled at the group. “I am glad the proposal excites you all. And don’t worry Mr. Lucas. There are many people, friends and enemies alike, who can attest to the fact that I mean what I say.” he said casually. “Now, there are certain… other… conditions that would have to be considered as well. For instance… Oed would want a gesture of good faith from Holloway Industries. Something that shows you are here to stay and help move us forwards. A convention center has been proposed. A place for music, art, conventions, and the like. Something like that is doable both from a space availability and a construction standpoint. Would Holloway Industries be interested in building that facility? Or at least partnering with the colony in it’s construction? I think that would go a long way to establishing your presence within the community even before you have your facilities under construction. Additionally, I would like to tap the knowledge and experience of some of your Senior members… you specifically, Mr. Holloway. Should we reach an agreement here today, I will be formally asking you to serve on the Terraforming Board under the Director. Is that acceptable to you, lady and gentlemen?”

Hyrushi, Governor


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