(I took a week off to plan the plot so that this wouldn't be a disaster and then I got the flu and I'm finally doing better. Also, I forgot to say welcome to volume 3. This volume is going to end with the first major climax of the story, and I promise you it will be a banger. Stay safe, stay healthy, and enjoy the chapters! One last thing, Happy Hanukkah!)
Barely having enough time to react, I responded instinctively. "Hi Auntie! It's been so-"
"Shut up and sit down. You're late."
Ahhhh, this woman is brutal. I could only nod like a good boy and go sit down. I felt slightly uncomfortable under so many stares. I could feel them judging me through the force, their emotions rolling off them like a cold fog over the hills.
Violet quickly strode past me and took her seat. Was this haughty woman scared by my aunt? Well, to be honest, I am scared of her as well.
Most of the people there I was familiar with sat on the left side of the table, opposite from my aunt and uncle. Going clockwise around the table from the near head, there was Galen at the head, Satine, our Asset Management Director, Tyrus, our Defense Director, Sheema, our prospective Guild Secretary, Violet, our Director of Operations, Viktor, my dad, Tomas, Jeremiah, and then my empty seat at the other head.
Continuing in that direction, Rosalina, my aunt, Paolo, my uncle, Sigurd, our Intelligence Director, then two people I wasn't familiar with, and then Toro, our Finance Director. This second group of people were most likely in my aunt's camp and that included my uncle and his people. I had no idea what would happen at this meeting but I found comfort in the fact that Galen and I held complete control of the guild.
I made my way around the table and took my seat at the other head in between Jeremiah and my aunt. My uncle briefly looked up with a pleading expression. I had never thought that I'd see the man in such a submissive position. As soon as he picked his head up, my aunt glared at him and his expression immediately sunk back down.
Rosalina looked towards Galen with slight irritation on her face. "Shall we?"
Galen nodded and then picked up the datapad in front of him. "I declare the start of the board meeting on this day, Friday, July 3rd, 2054. It is now 3PM. Let's begin. We have a lot to get done today and not a lot of time so I'll get right to it. The first order of business shall be some official appointments."
"In our last meeting, we discussed the prospective appointment of Sheema Nohara as Guild Secretary. In the past week since that discussion, she has proven herself quite capable of fulfilling the needs of the position. It has allowed me to put more focus on action items while Soryn has been unavailable. Thus, I am putting forward a motion to extend an offer for Sheema to officially hold the position. Are there any objections?"
A few seconds of silence followed his words, indicating that no one objected. "Very good. Sheema, do you accept the offer?"
Sheema stood up and nodded, bowing slightly. "Yes. Thank you for this opportunity."
Galen then nodded and picked up a stylus, appearing to put his signature on the datapad in front of him. He then picked up a second datapad and tossed it across the table towards me like a frisbee.
I reached out with my right hand, easily catching the datapad with the force and guiding it into my hand along with the stylus attached to it. "What's this for?"
Galen sighed. "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. As per Security Directive 1.0, the majority of all shareholders must sign off on the appointment of an individual to any guild position with a clearance level of 2 or higher."
I nodded and signed on the line that was at the bottom of the digital form on the datapad. Then I turned to Sheema. I smiled and nodded. "Congratulations and welcome to the board. I knew you were capable as soon as we met on Kuat. I expect great things from you."
Galen nods. "The rest of the board welcomes you as well. Moving on to the next appointment, I am putting forward a motion to instate Rosalina Massimo as a Grand Elder. She is the chairwoman of Berkshire Hathaway and has been quite generous in terms of funding. I will note, however, that the shareholders do not currently have the intention of selling."
I sighed and shook my head. "Galen, come on. Let's throw them a bone. How about we each give 5%?"
Galen thinks for a moment and then nods. "I can accept that."
I smiled. "Good. I want to make it clear that this is not a sale of shares due to your contributions. This is a show of good faith to improve the depth of our partnership. We can officially make the transfer at some other time. Oh, back to the vote. Any objections?"
Galen grumbled to himself as I partly hijacked his board meeting. He was the acting guild leader after all. Nonetheless, there was only silence, so he turned towards Rosalina. "Rosalina, do you accept?"
Rosalina nodded. "Yes, I do."
Galen sighed and nodded. "Very well."
We both signed our datapads, so he then moved on, quickly regaining control. "The next one is the appointment of Sammie as a Vice Guild Leader. His management and organizational skills are unparalleled and will bring a lot of value to the table. In addition, he is Rosalina's executive assistant. Are there any objections?"
Again, there was silence so Galen just glanced at Sammie, who chuckled and nodded. Galen and I then proceeded to sign our datapads, finalizing the appointment. "Congrats, we look forward to your support."
Galen then stood up and swept his eyes across the room. I grew confused as it appeared that he was taking in something he would never see again. "Since the founding of this guild, I was tossed into this position against my will by my… eccentric partner. Despite my misgivings with the responsibility, it has been an amazing experience that has greatly benefited me not only as a person, but as a leader. This position I was holding was only temporary and I hope that, after this vote, it will be held by a proven leader and innovator."
He gestured towards the other man I wasn't familiar with who was sitting next to Sammie. He looked very familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. "This is Samir Lutz. He is the CEO of Abyss Capital which is the division of Berkshire Hathaway that is overseeing their investments in the guild. Coincidentally, he is Soryn's neighbor back home. Thus, I am putting forward a motion for Samir Lutz to takeover as Guild Leader effective immediately. Are there any objections?"
There was silence for a few seconds, but I had to speak up. "Galen, are you cool with this?"
Galen nodded immediately and without hesitation. "Yeah, of course. While your aunt is scary as fuck, it was an objective decision. He is a proven leader and even if things go wrong, we can make an executive override as per Leadership Directive 1.0."
I smiled. There was almost nothing I had against the man. If anything, I owed him a lot for putting his wife and son in mortal danger. "Good. I can attest to his character as well. He is a good man and father. With the personal stake he already has in our success, I have no doubts about his integrity and loyalty to our cause. I trust his intentions."
Samir smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Soryn. I appreciate the good faith."
I could only chuckle. "Saying sorry isn't enough with what I did to your family. The least I can do is believe in you."
Samir shook his head, closing his eyes and taking a short breath. "You misunderstand. Without your intervention, it is likely that those monsters would have cleared out any possible witnesses. That would have included them so I must thank you."
Galen cut in. "Yeah, yeah, you guys can talk later. We have a lot to go through. Samir, do you accept."
Samir chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I do."
Galen then nodded and signed the datapad so I followed suit. "Congratulations, Guild Leader."
Samir smiled and swept his eyes across the room. "Thank you."
Galen then sat down as Samir stood up. "Very well, let's get to it everyone. I just want to start by thanking everyone for this amazing opportunity. As CEO of Abyss Capital, I have been heavily involved with unconventional investments for many years. From the successes of VR entertainment to the failures of an AI managed football team, I've seen a lot. However, I have never been personally involved like this."
"It is a completely different experience getting my feet wet compared to staying high and dry like I usually do. This time, I'll be putting my mouth where my money is. I will only make one promise when it comes to my role as guild leader: Every single expectation set for me as guild leader shall be met and exceeded with every ounce of my abilities. You will not regret your decision."
While I nodded in approval, a bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. His gaze was intense while his spirit was unbelievably strong. Samir, Skylar, he was not a weak man. I could feel the intensity he emanated through the force as stable and warm waves bounced off of him.
Samir picked up the datapad as he sat back down in his seat. "Last thing before we start, I would like to thank Galen for all of his hard work. He didn't have to do all he did but we are in a much better place because of it. I feel confident that I can help lead us to something great using the foundation that he laid. Thank you, Galen."
Galen smiled and nodded. "I appreciate the recognition."
Samir nodded and looked down at his datapad. "Well, we have a lot to do but let's start with Defense Directive 1.0. As my first act as guild leader, I want to implement a DEFCON system similar to that which the United States government uses. Most of the proposal that you can see on your datapads is just excessive verbiage to shore up any possible misunderstandings. The important points are that the Intelligence and Defense Divisions are going to be in control of this for the most part. However, their decisions can be overturned by 3 level 2 signatures or executive override. Does anyone need time to review the proposal?"
No one spoke so I decided to move us along. "It seems pretty straight forward and also imperative that we get it active. We can come back to make amendments later if needed."
Samir nodded and gestured across the room. "Well, let's put it to vote then."
Just ten seconds later, he turned to Sheema. "Sheema, can you tally the vote?"
Sheema nodded and stood up. "It's a unanimous approval."
Samir sighed and shook his head. "Ahhh, this is refreshing. I wish all board meetings were as quick and easy as this."
Everyone, including myself, let out a light chuckle. Between such boring topics, a lighthearted and innocent joke definitely helped the mood in the room.
Samir then tapped again on his datapad. "Before we get to individual reports, I'd like to suggest we elevate to DEFCON 3."