Chapter 82 - DEFCON 3

Samir swiped up on his datapad, causing a holographic map of the entire galaxy to be displayed. It was rotating slowly to ensure that everyone could see it clearly. It displayed the most up to date intelligence from the Republic. Depicted was the known positions of all Republic and Imperial fleets as well as the current front lines that divided the galaxy in two uneven pieces.

Samir gestured towards the map. "We are currently involved in the typical war that occurs between the Jedi and Sith Orders. It is all out fighting with no holds barred. While we are involved in the war, we are not fully deployed and maintaining our presence throughout the Republic in a variety of ways."

"In addition, provocations from Russian and Chinese guilds have been ramping up. I've also heard that some North Korean remnants located in China are starting to emerge. With these three countries being the main players in World War III, I have no doubt that they will be doing plenty to recover from their embarrassing loss. Does Defense and Intelligence concur with this?"

Sigurd nodded. "Yeah. Even with the limited network we have deployed, it is obvious that we are a primary target for a lot of organizations."

Tyrus grunted. "I don't like that we are taking these provocations laying down. We have lost a considerable amount of equipment. I plan to bring this insanity to General Kroos's attention. Such abominable organizations that are against freedom should not be endorsed by this Galactic Republic."

Samir nodded and then tapped a few times on his datapad. "Alright, everyone in the guild has been notified of our defensive condition. Tyrus, you can move our assets accordingly after this meeting. Although we have a good chunk of our strength with us, there are plenty of strategic assets leftover."

"Alright, let's move into our director reports. We will go through the reports in this order: Finance, Assets, Operations, Defense, and then finish off with Intelligence which I have heard is quite juicy. Toro, the floor is yours."

Toro nodded and casually tapped his datapad a few times. "As of this morning, Berkshire Hathaway has injected another 1 billion dollars. This equates to 1.3 billions credits at an exchange rate of 77 cents per credit."

"Currently, my accounting team is working with legal to draft our first official budget. In addition, salaries have started to be paid to all guild leadership and office staff. Combat based guild members have not been worked into compensation packages yet."

"For the budget, our main focuses are the guild headquarters and defense spending. Just this morning, I approved an additional 400 million credits to put towards our ever-growing order with KDY. They were quite happy when I informed them via a call with the sales rep."

"Based on our preliminary revisions of the budget, there is a hard cap of 300 million credits for renovations on the guild headquarters. We haven't received a final estimate yet, but the design firm has assured us that the cost will not exceed that number. That's all I have for today."

Samir smiled after hearing this. All of it was good news so there was no reason to not be happy. "Thank you, Toro. Satine, what do you have for us?"

Satine casually picked up her datapad and then swiped up, causing the hologram in the center of the room to change. It now displayed an insanely tall skyscraper with blocks of color that signified different zones.

She stood up and gestured towards the hologram. "Peralta Design Firm, the contractor we voted on, has provided us with the zoning diagram for the headquarters. It is perfectly allocated for what we want so I asked them to go ahead with a full 3D model of their design. Unfortunately, the size of the project is causing for the rendering to take an unprecedented amount of time. Even the tallest tower on Earth is only 163 floors so you can imagine how much is going into this."

Satine then tapped the datapad again. The hologram enlarged, focusing in on blocks of floors and shifting through them. "Space for lodging, recreation, retail, events, offices, and, of course, the executive residences have been incorporated. Does anyone have any questions for the firm?"

I shook my head and cut in. "I believe that we should save our questions for when we receive the fully rendered design."

Samir nodded in clear agreement. "I agree. We can put together any questions and comments at the next board meeting. Satine, is there anything else?"

Satine nodded. "Actually, there is. My team and I have been looking into various logistics and commercial transportation companies. We are evaluating several possible acquisition targets and considering making an official move. There is a lot of room for improvement with the business models that we have seen and believe that the market cap for such a venture is nearly limitless."

Samir had his brows raised and nodded in approval. "That is fantastic news. Even in the short time I have been here, I've noticed that transportation, while plentiful, is quite lacking. In addition, there is plenty of untapped potential in the shipping and distribution space. Please keep me updated on that. I tend to have a good eye for what companies may be hiding below the surface."

Before Satine could reply I interjected, gesturing towards Tyrus. "A major problem with those industries is safety. As you approach the border of the mid rim, space becomes less and less controlled. Pirates and marauders run rampant. Not to mention the Empire and enemy guilds. Protecting the vessels would be a major challenge to do while maintaining cost effectivity."

Tyrus nodded. "I have nothing more to add on that. Soryn is 100% correct. The further you get from Coruscant, the less control the Republic has over space."

Samir sighed. "I see. I didn't realize that the situation was so out of control. We must ensure sure that defense is consulted before making any investments in these sectors. Satine, is that all?"

Satine nodded. "Yes, that's all for now."

Samir nodded, shifting his gaze to the next director. "Alright Violet, you're up."