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RP [Horizon-IIS] Scouting for Partners

Ethereal

Banned Member
15:00
IIS HQ
Yamatai


Kryss Black had gone to a lot of effort getting herself out to the IIS HQ for this meeting and was a still a little grumpy from the flight, according to what her father had said this was a very big corporation with a lot of money. They had expressed an interest in Dawn, the AI designed by Horizon for data analysis and assessment and this gave the small company an opportunity to gain a footing outside of USO along with another business partner with a lot of potential.

"So who am going to be talking to in this place, as much as I'd love to recover from the flight I dont have the luxury of time to spare." It could almost have been interpreted as her thinking out loud had she not been looking at the receptionist the whole time.

The reception was lavish as they went, with a glossy white sheen to its front and polished wooden surface for the woman to work. The entire reception room seemed to have a pleasing monochrome theme, the woman behind it clothed in a tight-fitting coloured jumpsuit which suited her well.

"Miss Black, I've got your welcome pack ready here." She stood up abruptly, a crisp and newly-printed set of colourful pages bound with a stylised gold thread. "So here you have a map in case you get lost, some information about the company's structure and products and there's even some nice free merchandise tokens in there. There's a keycard and emergency call button in amongst them too."

The perky girl waved over to a man sat nearby in a similar jumpsuit, though he appeared to be wearing a tactical vest, a weapon slung at his hip. The bulky guy set down the pad he had been tapping into casually and stood, striding over easily.

Kryss looked through the map and assorted items and made a mental note to impliment this into Horizon when it grew a little more, pocketing the keycard for easy access she stowed the rest in her shoulder bag. "Thank you, nice to have a well planned reception when you have no idea what's going on for the most part."

She turned to the bulky guy who approached her and her initial thought was that he was part of security but couldn't be sure. "Hello there, that's some interesting gear you've got on I take it you're security?"

The man nodded a few times, "That's me, while you're here it's my job to see to whatever needs you have. Don't worry, this station has several thousand turrets on it that can take down cruisers, you're probably safer here than your own bedroom." The chocolate- haired man chuckled, his locks dancing a little as he did.

"Alright, let's show you to the meeting room you've been assigned." The man stepped over to a nearby wall, which suddenly blinked, a door-sized open appearing for them to walk through where before it had been solid.

Once they were out of earshot of the kind woman, he leaned in a little and muttered. "This isn't the actual reception, it's our equivalent of a check-in desk like you see at spaceports. On your way out we'll go through there but it's about a half hour away so we thought it'd be easier to dock you closer, here."

Kryss looked around at the room she was in and glanced back at the lady who she had just spoken to and wondered what the actual reception was like, so far what she'd heard about IIS being big and well funded was undeniably true. "Well that's very kind of you to consider time saving, send my regards to whoever's good idea that was."

Kryss continued to follow the guard and had managed to get herself into a happy mood, for starters she had coffee this morning and didn't have to clean up any internal issues at Horizon, not that they had enough people to cause more than a mild disagreement.

"Excuse me uh, sir. Do you happen to know which representative I'll be speaking to. As you can see it's not the most comfortable thing to start a conversation without knowing someones name." She gave him a sweet smile which while it wasn't fake, was also her warming up for the discussion ahead considering this was her first actual job as the primary liaison officer and she didn't know what to expect from a super corp.

"You should be talking to Mr. Kentari Venlyn or one of his associates, the CEO of our Acquisitions subsidiary." Kryss' guide responded cheerily as they swept through anothta spontaneously forming door.

As they stepped through, the pair entered a gigantic, open thoroughfare with vehicles flying high over the promenade below where they now entered. The paths were well-maintained slabs of polished stone-capped metal, water fountains and commissary carts dotted about the place. Looking down the way, the walkway seemed almost to disappear into the distance, at least a few kilometres long.

"Do you fancy a drink or something to eat on the way?" The request was simple and cordial, then added with "You can call me Rob by the way, Miss Black."

Although she was able to avoid the comical "jaw hitting the floor" moment her eyes did widen as they moved into the huge open area, compared to what she was used to on 188604 this may as well have been an entirely new universe. "Thank for that Rob, since we're being friendly just call me Kryss, and wow I was not prepared for this sort of scale."

Her eyes darted around taking in as many details as she could while they moved, she considered avoiding the offer of food to maintain herself before an important meeting but her stomach said otherwise. "You know, I was considering avoiding that offer but I'm beginning to reconsider, what kind of food do you have that's on the way and easy. Wouldn't want to keep Mr Venlyn waiting."

Rob broke into a little grin at that comment, "Truth be told I'm getting a bit peckish too Kryss." The well-built man seemed to know his way through the lightly populated tracks well.

"We've got everything from Yamatai to USO, Elysian to Nepleslian. All sorts but I always like some good old ramen myself. What do you fancy?"

The silvery haired girl pondered the question for a moment and looked out at seemingly nothing before turning back to face the security worker, "I think something light would be best, got any pastries around this big fancy station?" Kryss pulled out her PDA and skimmed through a notice on the display before replacin it in her suit pocket and turning her attention back to Rob.

"Ah, now that's an idea. I'm pretty sure they sell some up a little past our meeting room." Rob glanced at his watch for a moment, "We have time though, so don't worry."

In no time at all, the two had wandered past several large art sculptures, a few of those sleep pods that were getting more and more popular nowadays to a very old-fashioned cart.

The man appeared to be from some far corner of Yamatai and claimed they were all from an old family recipe, his wagon detailed with all manner of elaborate curving designs and lacquered wood.

"I haven't seen something this ancient looking in a long time, and well kept too that's impressive. Now of course to see if the food quality stands up to the presentation." Kryss fumbled around for her travel card, for "business expenses" but had another thought. Going by looks alone the ancient theme may extend to his transaction methods and she looked up to check for a digital payment system anywhere.

Sure enough, besides a strange apparatus appearing as a draw seeming to poke out from beneath a keypad, there had been placed a standard payment system. Rob pointed out to some curved, crescent-moon shaped pastries as Kryss went to pay.

Nodding her thanks Kryss selected a couple of different pastries and paid for them with the device pointed out, "Alrighty onto the meeting, soon as I finish these." She spoke before taking a bite and was once again surprised by the quality in this place. "Since you made it sound like we have some time to kill, what's it like working security for such a big place?"

A nearby, padded bench made a welcome and comfy place to talk, Rob paying and collecting his food with a nod as he thought "Hmm.." The taller man sat, making sure his equipment didn't catch on the corner of the seat. "Well, it's all a big community really. You live very close to the people who have similar jobs to you generally so I get to see my colleagues whenever I want. Pay is good, free healthcare and insurance. Lots of food is grown here and you can get your hands on anything you want with everything going through this place."

Rob took a bite of his pastry, the crinkling of its soft upper layer pleasant to hear. "It can get a little repetitive at times since we get assigned most of the time rather than deciding what to do for ourselves but that's pretty much like any job."

He glanced at his watch once more, it seemed the combination of his shortcuts and the clever move of docking closer to the meeting room had given them as much time as they wanted.

"Yeah I hear you, jobs can be great some days and horrible the next but someone has to do em right? I guess the kind of thing I do is a little different to you in the sense that I don't have any idea what I'll be doing until I wake up on the day." Kyrss spent a few moments munching on the food and quickly managed to finish them, she too looked at her watch and found there was still some time before the scheduled meeting time. "So anything I can check out quickly before this meeting?"

Her companion for now nodded with a smile, swallowing quickly so he could speak clearly, unfortunately not noticing the few pastry flakes that had stuck to his lips. "I mean, this place is big enough it's a wonderland, everything is here if you go far enough." Rob scrunched up the napkin his meal had come in as he thought. "Hmm, there's a range, drop-in dojo and a few arcades and things nearby. There's also a park I believe? At least, that's what I've been to. If you want we can have a glance at the map?"

Kryss weighed up the options in her head and while they all seemed exciting enough she had to remember she was here on a business trip, "While they all sound delightful I've allowed myself too much freedom already, I am here on business after all but I'm defenitely coming back for a leisure trip some other time. Sorry to cut this short but would you mind showing me to the conference room? Never hurts to be early and make a good first impression."

"Of course! Your wish is my command after all." Rob smiled in humour at the old adage, brushing the flakes from his lips with a quick stroke of his hand.

In a flash the two were inside one of the many towering office blocks that were placed on either side of the thoroughfare, though side alleys hinted there were even more. Once inside, pastel colours seemed to be the theme, with many walls and objects they passed standing out in striking colours.

Luckily, it seemed by the way Kryss' guide was going their room was on the ground floor, passing through one set of doors before the two stopped in a small waiting room by two big teal-toned doors.

"After you Kryss, your card was read at the entrance so we're all checked in."

"You people are nothing if not efficient, I'll definitely be thinking back to these systems when we expand eventually." The blonde moved through the doorway with one hand holding the strap of her shoulder bag, ready to set it down once inside and retrieve the precious contents. "So can I assume you won't be joining us for the meeting Rob?"

The big security guy leaned against the doorframe, checking that she was getting settled in well which of course she was, to be expected of someone like her. "That's right I'm afraid, though I'll be back for you when you're all done. The system is good at predicting stuff like that, heh."

"Indeed it is, well thanks for the brief tour I'll be sure to leave a good review if you guys have that sort of system here." Kryss stepped into the slightly larger room and looked around and the interior which seemed to continue the theme of pastels, finding a seat she sat down and waited for the representative to show up being early herself.

...

A small handful of minutes ticked by, before long a dark-skinned slim executive dressed in a rather dashing suit swung open the door with maybe a little too much enthusiasm before striding into the warm room.

"Evening, Miss Black." The rather plain looking man smiled, swooping around to the other side of the table from his glamorous visitor, holding out a hand as he settled down into the seat opposite. "I'm Markus deDanillo, Acquisitions."

Kryss took his hand and gave a firm handshake without making it unprofessional, "good to meet you Mr deDanillo, it would seem you've already looked me up so I wont waste our time with an introduction. It is my understanding that this meeting is taking place due to the recent interest Galactic Horizon has stirred within IIS correct?" she asked releasing his hand and composing herself for the discussion ahead.

"That's correct, Miss Black. Your company has been turning a few heads here and there, our talent scouts have spoken highly of your progress." Markus tucked a hand under the left side of his blazer, somehow producing a file from in there. Buerocratic magic.

He placed it gently onto the smooth table with a little "whump" of displaced air. "Indeed, we're very interested in pursuiting some sort of arrangement."

Kryss eyed the file before turning back to the man, "Well I wouldn't be here otherwise now would I." She sad with a slight smirk on her face, "However please forgive me for being questioning, but what can we offer you that you don't already have, our resources and ability is limited to a single planet and wont be developed for years."

The man's eyes seemed to sparkle a little bit, lithe fingers flipping open the top of the brown sleeved documents. The very top piece appeared to be a mess of statistics and charts, slightly concerning perhaps but the majority were titled "estimated".

"While that might have some grains of truth, every tech company is based on the things we can't simply buy. Genius, inspiration and those sparks of creativity one can't simply generate."

"So I take it you have seen something within our business which catches your eye then." The blonde had considered pointing out that most people would give up their old jobs at the right price but decided against it, this was a negotiation afterall. "Even with our quite frankly, limited presence and product list a company such as IIS has taken notice, there must be a good reason for that."

deDanillo traced a finger down one of the many tables and lists constituting the firstmost page, seeming to read off some text. "IIS has adopted a 'grow together' mindset in recent years, well, every since our Founder retired that is.." He looked up and gave a bit of a telling smile - it wasn't always that way. "We want to see Horizon enter a mutually beneficial relationship, in an ideal world, so everyone helps each other."

"Especially.." Markus added, tapping the line of text slowly. "It seems everyone could benefit from your developments in the area of AI. Plenty of potential."

Kryss grinned inwardly, her hunch about the AI attracting attention had been right it seemed, what a great way to make a splash in the business world, seems comercial grade AI is quite popular.

"Ah yes, Dawn. I wont bother questioning your sources of obtaining such information, I know what it's like to try finding out everything happening around you but I will ask you this. To kick off this mutual partnership I have an offer for you, my father and I suspected it may have been Dawn that drew your attention so I've brought a stable build of the system with me." She stopped, searching Markus' eyes for any signs at her clear hint of what was to come

It was clear this man was a professional, it seemed he only gave away what he wanted to. Raising an eyebrow, Markus leaned back slightly and steepled his fingers, "You've brought a version? That's very thoughtful of you, Miss Black." The sliding of leather across the polished floor carried through the room as Mr deDanillo crossed his legs casually.

"I may not have been in the corporate game as long as most Mr deDanillo, but I've been to enough housewarmings to know gifts are always appreciated, in fact this stable build of the Dawn system will be yours whether an arangement is made here today or not. I had a few of our techs write up a manual for installation and integration with existing systems as well which I hope will be of use."

Taking a moderate sized, flat object from her bag Kryss placed in on the large desk and slid it towards him, "That is the whole package, do with it what you wish except sell or replicate, we'll know otherwise." An innocent smile crept onto her face as she gave him an equally innocent look.

Markus blinked in surprise, taken a little aback, a warm smile growing from one corner of his mouth. "I like you, Miss Black. You're quite the interesting personality." He regarded the object which sat just a little closer to his side than the middle of the desk.

Straightening up, the suited man laced his fingers atop the table. "You can rest assured we won't breach your wishes, that's hardly in the spirit of what we wish to accomplish here." His head tilted a fraction to one side, "Of course, we need to reciprocate. Is there anything you wish in exchange for this gift before we get down to the big talk? We could perhaps offer you a weapon or technology of ours with the same terms?"

Kryss simply shook her head slightly, "No it's quite alright we don't expect anything in return for a gift, in all honesty it's just as good for you as it is for us anyway, being able to test it outside our own network will provide valuable data. And besides, time is money as they say so shall we get started?"

The Acquisitions officer chuckled despite himself, "As you wish, Miss Black, as you wish.." His smile had grown into a warm grin, "So, I'm sure it's best for us to start with asking what Horizon would like IIS to provide. I'm sure as its CEO you know better than anyone where to start with this dialogue. No point in providing things that won't be of use after all."

"I'm humbled that I appear as important as the CEO but I'm merely his daughter in all honesty, but to continue with business as for what you can provide us with. We have currently a single building to our name and very limited funding, no production capacity as of yet either which brings me to the main benefit we would like from this deal, we need your production capability.' Kryss spoke matter-of-factly as she explained the request.

deDanillo nodded along, listening as she spoke of how they could help. As Kryss mentioned their production, he spread his arms and gestured generally to the Minato-Class installation they were currently within. "Millions of people reside on this one station, 654 ships can dock here at once and besides our countless construction yards this station can create six flagships at a time similtaneously. What exactly do you want us to make?"

"At this point, we are looking for a group who can just make anything we need to, nothing starship sized or complex for a while but small personal equipment. At least until we have facilities to take care of such things ourselves however I doubt even when we do acquire such facilities we will have enywhere near enough capacity to cater to massive consumerism."

"Mhm.." Markus noted in assent, "I'm confident we can redirect a factor of our production to whatever Horizon needs without compromising our prior commitments." It was quite a sentence but it made the point concisely.

He tapped the flat-topped case several times, "IIS has been known in the past to make agreements without absolute values being negotiated beforehand in the case where those values are either unquantifiable at that time or would impact the party contrary to the purpose of the agreement."

"Would you prefer to make a proposal for the benefit of IIS or would you prefer we contact you at a later date with instructions on how to uphold Horizon's side of the agreement?"

"I think it will be better for everyone involved if we get at least the base idea down in writing while I'm here, considering we'd be using your facilities of course we're happy to write down a percentage in the IIS name. On top of that we can give you access to our secondary service, as a commission company IIS will recieve a major deduction on any custom orders placed." Kryss may have been wearing a pleasent expression outwardly but she knew this was the point in the discussion when they would either be forced to accept terms that heavily benefitted IIS over them for the sake of production, or lose the deal entirely. And she was nervous.

Markus rested his chin on the tips of his upwards-facing fingers, taking his time to think things over, cool eyes slipping between Kryss and the case before them both. "Capital isn't of the greatest concern to the company as it stands, however we've been reading about your commissioning service." Another few long seconds. "Would it be possible that if in future we commissioned designs from you the rights would transfer to our company? This would be much more beneficial than what you have proposed which is essentially reducing the income to your company."

Kyss nodded along having crossed her arms, transfering the rights to the designs would be giving them the ability to resell them but he already mentioned they were less interested in capital..."I'm assuming you'd like to have the rights to the custom designs so you can easily make your own modifications to them in the future? Regardless this is an acceptable agreement, we having nothing to gain by trying to limit our own partners nor keeping them from modifying a design for the kind of repayment you've agreed to so far."

The IIS representative smiled warmly, "Excellent. Excellent. We'll have an official agreement written up immediately, for your father and colleages to read over before it's signed by both parties. Until then, I'm sure we can shake on it." Leaning forwards, he offered an outstretched hand to Kryss.

"I suppose a shake will do until such time as I convince you to kiss my hand like a princess." Kryss laughed and shook his hand firmly, "Well it has been an interesting and beneficial visit to your wonderful station, I do hope I can come back soon and get a better look around."

The well-garbed Markus winked slyly in response, chuckling in unison, "Don't tempt me. Of course, feel free to come back any time, we always like to show off." His grin radiated warmth to her, "Hopefully I'll see you soon! Be sure to get Rob to do whatever you want or pick whatever you need up before you leave, it's what he's there for, hehe. We'll be in touch on the IIS-NET I'm sure."

Kryss snapped her fingers as an expression of realisation crossed her face, "Oh right I nearly forgot, the Dawn build is stable but is not tested with access to cross system communication so inform your techs to keep it on the IIS closed server." Pausing she took a moment to tell herself that most other corporate reps probably dont do as much of the designing as she did, "Uh that is to say, don't give it access to other systems, the techs will know what I mean and it's all in the manual. Until next time then Mr deDanillo." She waved as she promptly exited the room and made her way back to the ship that would shuttle her home.

 
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