1Shawn's knuckles rapped lightly on the oak door. Quietly, he appreciated the luxury it represented — in an age where everything was steel and glass, synthetic and processed, the solid wood door was as much a statement as structure. From the other side, a woman's voice called for him to enter. Laying his hand on the brass knob, Shawn Keller took a deep, heavy breath, and plunged inward. Opposite the door sat Carmen Vanquist, staring intently at her desk. Like the door, it was solid oak, trimmed in gleaming brass, though some concessions had been made to modern technology. Holographic displays littered its surface, floating above the cluster of glowing emitters embedded therein. Each represented millions in investments, R&D projects, contracts, and a dozen other corporate interests that kept their empire expanding. Reaching forward, Vanquist tapped one of the displays, like a spider plucking the string of her web. "Kell, glad you're here," she said absently. "I've been looking over the Tillman reports. Are you sure that Baxter kid can manage?" "As sure as I always am, Carmen." On paper, Shawn and Carmen were partners, but his specialty was in the human element. He had a knack for making connections, wooing investors, cutting deals. Carmen was the mind behind the business endeavors of Keller-Vanquist Enterprises. Between the two of them, KVE had grown from a startup ship-building firm to an industry juggernaut that made up nearly forty percent of the private sector. But now, Vanquist was eyeing a bigger prize. Shawn coughed nervously, reminded of his purpose. "Look, Carmen, I went over those proposals you drafted for the Defense Ministry. You're undercutting TVI by almost ten percent." "And we can do it for less, if we have to," she shrugged. "I don't see an issue. Pershing already bowed out, TVI won't make a counter-offer — they like to pad their bottom line too much — and Moelwerks already have their hands full with the Leviathan prototype." "I know that," Keller replied, annoyance seeping into his voice. "I'm saying that stealing this one from TVI might create problems." Carmen looked up at him, a thin predatory smile tugging at her cheeks. "Problems for who, Kell? We've got some of the best engineers in the industry. You made sure of it, as you yourself have told me on numerous occasions." She straightened, hands folded behind her back as she began pacing behind the desk. Her dark red hair fluttered around her shoulders with each step. "We've got better people, newer facilities, and more efficient equipment. With those supplier agreements you worked out last year, we can get parts for half of what it'd cost TVI, and I know you can do the same with mil-spec hardware." She ceased pacing, turning to face him. Her green eyes seemed to pierce right through him, studying her partner carefully. Her voice dropped lower, hushed and conspiratorial. "We talked about this, agreed to it. Private is good and it's paying the bills, but military contracts are where the real money is, and we've got this one nailed down tight. So what are you afraid of? Success?" Shawn swallowed hard, gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah, maybe that's it. TVI is gonna be pissed if we take this one." Vanquist waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft, screw them. Hell Shawn, if I gave a damn what the competition thought, I wouldn't be in business. Any business." "I'm not talking about hurt feelings here Carmen," he bit back. "Pershing, TVI, VeriCorp... they weren't thrilled when we started eating their lunch in the private sector, but they let it slide. Military is their bread and butter though. If we start muscling in on that, you can bet it'll start getting ugly. Fast." She shot him a disdainful glance, rolled her eyes. "You're worried about offending the 'old guard' now? Jesus, Kell, grow a pair. That's how capitalism works — you compete or you cave. I'm not backing down, and neither is KVE." Shawn Keller winced. In the back of his mind, he'd always known that would be her answer, but he had to make the effort. He owed her that much at least. "Guess that's settled then. I've got a lunch meeting in twenty. Care to join?" "Sorry Kell," she shook her head, "maybe next time." "Eh, your loss," he told her, forcing a smile he didn't feel. Under the mask of false humor however, he meant every word.
I had tried to write a pt 2 but it just wasn't coming out the way I intended. If you want to know what happens afterwards though, there's a LCD screen in one of the TVI freighters (ingame) that gives you some hints.
