[Paradise-IV] SD 970402.23 - Pleased to Meet You Pt. 1 - Drake Gates, CIV; Amadeus Burr, NPC
Paradise-IV Logs
The man stepped into Drake Enterprises' office looking completely out
of place. His tailored three piece suit alone was enough to make him
stand out, but coupled with the way he carried himself made it clear he
was not one of the many colonist calling the planet home.
He immediately stepped over to the reception desk and handed his card
over to the young man sitting there. "Excuse me, my name is Amadeus
Burr. I am a representative of Billiton Mining Incorporated. I would
like to request a meeting with Mister Gates at his earliest possible
convenience."
The young man blinked, looking quite surprised and was about to respond
when Drake emerged from within another section of the rather small
building flanked by a tall muscular man on his left whose eyes were
obscured by a dark shade, and to his right a gorgeous woman with bright
orange hair. The pair wore long dark leather trench coat that was
form-fitting. Drake seemed engross in an argument with them when he
spotted Amadeus.
"Billiton Mining you say," Drake said as he moved closer to Amadeus.
Although they were not directly in his sight of vision, Drake thought
he saw the male and female at his sides visibly tense. From his
peripheral vision he could see Raine casually slip a hand into her
leather trench coat no doubt palming the pistol that was lodged there.
Spike on the other hand moved behind the stranger as if assessing his
threat level.
"I am Drake Gates," Drake continued ignoring the over cautious nature
of his so called bodyguards. The truth was he was finding them quite
irritating. They always insisted on going wherever he went and everyone
who came to see him had to be scrutinized. "Please forgive my
colleagues here...they seem to think that everyone and everything on
this planet is out to get me." Drake smiled then extended his hand to
greet the stranger. "Pleasure to meet you. Now am I may be of
assistance?"
If Amadeus notice the two 'bodyguards' before Drake mentioned them, he
gave no outward sign of it. Instead, when Drake spoke up Amadeus gave
him his full an undivided attention. "A man in your position is right
to be cautious." He responded after shaking hands. "Especially on a
planet as dangerous as this one. I would like to discuss a couple of
proposals with you, if you have the time."
"Of course," Drake replied. He was quite interested in learning about
what this proposals were. "This way," Drake said and he took the lead
and headed back the way he came from. The office building that was
currently serving as the administrative hub of Drake Enterprise was
quite small. It had been a bakery before the owner had abandoned it
clearly not finding much commercial success on Paradise. Drake had
purchased the building to serve as a temporary hub for his company
until he could construct a more larger and permanent facility that
would serve the interests and needs of his company.
The pair soon reached a new set of doors and Drake tapped at the wall
panel which immediately opened the door to a small office complete with
a long board table and chairs arranged intermittently around it. Drake
gestured for Amadeus to enter. "After you," he said. Then he turned to
Spike and Raine. "You two...stay out here."
"Sir I don't think th-"
"No buts Spike," Drake stated in a forceful tone. Besides not wanting
to insult his guest, he still did not fully trust his bodyguards. He
still was of the opinion that they were spies sent by certain board
members to watch his every move under the pretense offering protection.
But it was merely an opinion thus far. He had not been able to prove
anything.
"Please have a seat," Drake motioned as he took a seat at the head of
the table. "Would you like any refreshments?" he inquired.
Amadeus followed Drake through the office building. He did not look
around much, too focused on the business at hand. He could not help but
overhear part of Drake's conversation with the two 'bodyguards,'
however and he made a mental note of it.
"No, thank you. I am fine." He responded to the offer of refreshments
as he sat down. He had been holding a PADD when he entered the office
and he now handed it over to Drake. "If you don't mind I'd like to get
down to it. I'm a business first sort of guy."
"Of course," Drake replied leaning back in his seat.
"The First order of business," Amadeus began. "Is the idea of something
akin to a business guild. We can come up with a name later but the hope
is to get a majority of business owners, large and small, to join. Each
business will have it's own vote and be on equal footing with the
others, regardless of size. The idea is we can use this group to lobby
Starfleet and the local government, as it is, on issues of mutual
interest."
Drake nodded. He could see the worth in such a guild. It was important,
particularly with the political environment on Paradise, to partner
with like-minded individuals towards a common goal. It would also be an
avenue for networking and facilitating open communication between the
different business owners. "I agree," Drake said finally. "And I think
it has significant worth particularly here on Paradise since more and
more businesses arrive. It is something that I will have to discuss
with my board but suffice it to say I agree in principle that such a
business guild is in all our best interest and Drake Enterprises will
most likely seek membership in such a group."
Amadeus smiled, "Glad to hear it. I hope the other business leaders are
as open to the idea as you are. The second item I wished to discuss,"
he motioned to the PADD he had given Drake, "Concerns a proposal for a
business partnership between Billiton Mining and Drake Enterprises." He
paused to gauge Drake's reaction before continuing.
<TBC>
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Respectfully Submitted
Drake Gates
Entrepreneur
Amadeus Burr (Played by Chase)
NPC
Paradise IV
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