With Aron's words, the meeting started and Nova immediately materialized in front of them. She sat in her chair as she took the position of secretary, but also the restructuring project manager.
[Let's start by listing the companies and what they've been doing before I explain the reconstruction plan. That way it'll make sense.
[First is GAIA Technologies, which introduced Gaia OS, Pangea, BugZapper, and a hit game to the world. It was also the first company Aron built and later incorporated a law firm, which still acts as the company's legal department.
[Next is Connect, LLC, which has been providing internet, electricity, water, sewage services, and transportation throughout Eden.
[Then there's Hephaestus Heavy Industries, which is responsible for the production of all physical products that all the companies need.
[And last, but not least, is Helios Energy, which has been awarded the contract to extract and refine the crude oil deposits in Eden and Esparia.
[In order to manage the security of Eden, Esparia, and the rest of the companies, ARES Security, LLC, was established.]
Nova had listed the current companies under Aron and delineated their areas of responsibility in a succinct, easy-to-understand fashion. Everyone nodded as they listened and looked at the display screen next to her that showed infographics on each company as she mentioned them.
[That's our current list of properties, but the bloat and redundancy is beginning to grow. So to combat that, I suggest a restructuring as follows....]
Aron handed everyone a folder, so they could follow along with the presentation in hardcopy form.
[First, Connect, LLC will become Connect Enterprises and divest the departments that aren't administrative, such as human resources. They'll also take over the legal and IT departments from GAIA Technologies. Connect, LLC will be renamed Connect Enterprises and act as a parent company for the rest of our companies, which will operate as incorporated subsidiaries.
[So GAIA Technologies will become GAIA Technologies, Inc. and will be responsible for the software and hardware product sales, including BugZapper, GAIA OS, Pangea, and GAIA Games. They'll also absorb the internet utility from Connect and launch GAIA Broadband.
[Helios Energy will become Helios Energy & Utilities, Inc. and will be responsible for oil extraction and refining, as well as delivering utilities to customers, like electricity, water, and waste disposal.
[Hephaestus Heavy Industries will become Hephaestus Industries and Manufacturing, Inc. and will be responsible for manufacturing any product required or designed by the other companies under the Connect umbrella. They'll also be in charge of land speculation and development, as well as construction.
[ARES Security, LLC will become ARES Security Solutions, Inc. and will provide security services to all of our companies, as well as armed forces, mercenary companies, and private security for high-value individuals,] she said.
Essentially, all of the administrative departments in each company would be divested and taken over by Connect, which would in turn divest their utility and rail divisions, becoming a centralized administrative resource for all of the subsidiary companies under it.
[In addition to those changes,] Nova continued, [there will be a few more companies incorporated under the Connect umbrella.
[First is Hermes, Inc., which will be an import/export company responsible for bulk international freight as well as shipping within Eden and Esparia. They'll be taking over the rail network that Connect will divest as well.
[Next is Plutus Ventures, Inc. It'll be a venture capital and hedge fund that'll provide macro and micro loans, either as venture capital or angel investing. They'll be the ones responsible for all financial aspects of the companies under the Connect umbrella.
[Then comes Icarus Airlines, Inc. That'll be our passenger airline and low-volume, high-value shipping service. It'll operate out of our new airport here in Eden as its main hub.
[There are a few more companies we'll be launching and incorporating under the Connect umbrella, namely Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc. and the Coeus Foundation.
[Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc. will be our medical research branch. There, we'll research and develop medicines and medical hardware. They'll also operate a number of teaching hospitals, local clinics, and a medical school.
[And last, but certainly not least, is the Coeus Foundation. That'll be our charity company, as well as endowment management. They'll fund and operate private schools at every level, from pre-kindergarten all the way through university, including post-doctoral degree programs. They'll also be in charge of managing a charity fund whose purpose is to uplift and increase the standards of living in rural, poor, and underserved areas around the world,] Nova finished.
Aron, Felix, and Sarah watched as the AR display popped up infographics for each of the new companies, then read through the hardcopy reports in front of them. Nova had only outlined general responsibilities, and all three of those who were physically present in the room were interested in the intricate details.
Silence descended in the room as they pondered the things that would happen if they were to go forward with the plan.
"Since it'll increase efficiency and cut costs, I don't see why it shouldn't be adopted. What do you think, Felix?" Sarah said.
"I just have a few questions about the new companies," he said.
[Ask away,] Nova said, welcoming the questions.
"Based on your presentation, you mentioned other companies would be created. Does that mean they already have products to release, or would they be incorporated later?" he asked. His main focus was on Asclepius Biotechnology, a company that he had little to no information about. He had his guesses, but wanted to know exactly what it was.
[Asclepius Biotechnology will deal with everything about life. From food, to medicine, and everything in between. Initially, though, it'll focus on improving the health of Edenians. We have a promise to keep about healthcare, after all. Once that standard is raised, we'll introduce cures to most of the currently 'incurable' diseases, like certain cancers and chronic or seasonal illnesses like the common cold and flu. In the future, they'll produce the nutrient solution required for extended stays in the VR pods we're planning on eventually releasing,] Nova explained.
"What'll happen to my position as the CEO of Connect? I can't imagine having Sarah under me in the chain of command..." he glanced at the person sitting next to Nova, "let alone Aron!" he nervously laughed.
"Each of you can choose to be the president of any of the companies we'll have under Connect Enterprises," Aron said. He wanted to keep his friends around him more than he needed their expertise anymore, since he could be made an expert in any field at a moment's notice. Perhaps he had needed their help at one point, but currently he kept them around out of sentimentality and for the same reason Roman emperors and commanders kept aurigae slaves.
(Ed note: an auriga was the slave who, historians believe, would whisper "memento mori" into the ears of powerful Roman authorities (such as the emperor, senators, legates, and even gladiatorial champions) to remind them that they weren't perfect and were only human.)
"I've always been interested in building things. Remember my LEGO collection?" Felix chuckled. "So I guess I'll take Hephaestus."
"I'll stick with GAIA," Sarah said. "How about the stock market? Shouldn't we create an exchange to facilitate the buying and selling of shares in the country? That would give us quite a bit of power over the companies here." Sarah recalled the profit that the NYSE and Nasdaq were raking in. Many people even thought of them as government entities, despite them being privately owned companies.
"We're still waiting for the government to implement regulations in terms of securities exchange before we can consider entering that market," Aron said. "Once they do, we can cooperate with the Rothschilds, which will give us an immediate legitimacy in the field. There's also the banking issue... but basically, at the moment, it all boils down to one thing: Eden is simply too poor right now to make the securities exchange business viable."
Felix raised his hand and asked, "So who's going to head up the rest of the companies? Sarah's keeping GAIA, and I'm taking over Hephaestus, so... I hope you aren't planning on us being the presidents of EVERYTHING." He was a little bit worried and wondering if there would be enough hours in the day for all the work he would have to do if that were the case.
Aron just gave him a slightly evil smirk.
"...right?" Felix nervously snickered.
"You're right," Aron laughed, amused by his nervous friend's expression.
Felix heaved a sigh of relief and shot an annoyed glance that implied payback at his friend.
"Who'll be running them then?" Sarah asked, curious at what Aron would come up with. She was sure that the people who would be chosen as presidents of the new companies would need to be made aware of the VR world and have their own set of glasses, at least, to facilitate the smooth operation of the new companies. There was no other way to effectively interface with the AIs, after all.
"You know about personality adjustments, right?" Aron asked, despite knowing that they knew. He was priming them for the next bit of information.
When they nodded, he continued, "After hundreds of thousands of personality reformations performed on our soldiers, in order to make them more effective but also prevent them from revealing the existence of VR, we discovered that we could entirely change a person's personality if we wanted. Furthermore, we can implant an AI of our own design into them, essentially replacing the person they once were," Aron said. Sarah and Felix felt a slight chill run down their spines at the idea, having heard it for the first time since he hadn't told them about the vladımır incident.
"So a thought occurred to me... why don't we use that tech to hijack the bodies of deserving criminals? We'd technically be 'rehabilitating' them and turning them into productive members of society, that way. Plus, we'd be filling high-level holes in our human resources department, making it a two birds one stone kind of deal."
Aron had just dropped a massive nuclear info bomb on his friends, and though he looked confident on the outside, he nervously awaited their responses.
