Operation Barren Charge

Violet picked up her datapad and swiped up to take over the hologram. A massive model of two planets and a gargantuan cloud flickered into existence. "This is the Kessel System. There are other planetary bodies in the system but none of them are relevant at this time. Our focuses are Kessel, and Little Kessel."

She tapped on the datapad, and the hologram zoomed in on the smaller planet that was not inside the huge cloud. "Little Kessel is a primitive world with intelligent life basically being in the stone age in terms of development. We should have no problems taking partial control of the world while avoiding any major interaction with the natives. This planet will be of strategic importance as it is the closest world to Kessel."

Once again, she tapped on the datapad. The hologram shifted through the cloud and focused on Kessel. "This is Kessel, our gold mine. Intelligence from multiple sources indicates that due to Kessel lying within the Akadese Maelstrom, it possesses large amounts of spice and a rare hyperfuel. Spice is a valuable material that can be used to synthesize painkillers as well as the production of narcotics when in the wrong hands. We will need a special permit from the Republic to legally handle the material."

"While this will be a major revenue stream, it is not even a drop in the bucket compared to the hyperfuel. This particular variety of hyperfuel is known as coaxium. It is available in large quantities in an unrefined state on Kessel. Based on our plans, the only downside is that there is an inevitable byproduct of mining on Kessel."

"This byproduct is known as Kessoline, and it is highly toxic. We have planned several methods to either process it into something non-toxic or to dispose of it safely. All these methods require testing since Kessoline isn't really something you can just buy in aisle 4."

"To get us started and then keep us operational, we have hired a multidisciplinary team of engineers and plenty of labor from across the galaxy. With all these employees, in addition to the fact that many guild members will be receiving salaries based on contract, I am formally putting forward a motion to create a Human Resources department with a director position."

Samir nodded. "That is a concern that I had as well. I was planning to observe other companies across the galaxy to see what their approach to it is but I feel that it would be best to just stick with what we know. Galen, Soryn, what are your thoughts."

Galen shrugged. "No issues here."

I nodded. "Me neither. Better to get in front of this before anything complicated happens. I don't like complicated."

Samir nodded in return. "I agree. Let's discuss it in the next meeting. I'll have the legal team put together an official proposal. In the meantime, we should be on the lookout for people that would fit well in HR roles. Violet, do you have anything else?"

Violet shook her head. "Nope. The conquest of the system of Tyrus's thing."

Samir nodded. "Very well. Let's move onto defense then. Tyrus?"

Tyrus swiped up on his datapad. This brought back up the hologram of the Kessel System. "We have two planets that we need to take control of for this operation to be successful. Codenamed Operation Barren Charge, our forces will be split up."

"Of our five cruisers, three will move through the maelstrom. Heavily armored shuttles shall be used to chart the path for these cruisers and our eventual shipping channels. There is only one safe path through the maelstrom from either side, so it is crucial that we maintain control."

"The first phase of Barren Charge is to get boots on the surface of both Kessel and Little Kessel. This will include setting up basic infrastructure and securing our assets. We can't move to phase two until we know more about the locals. I would prefer a diplomatic solution when it comes to taking control of both planets, but we are fully capable of glassing them. Phase two involves taking control of the entire star system and exploring the other planets. Are there any questions?"

I scoffed, making sure everyone could hear me. "Any sort of glassing on Kessel is not an option and that's final. Unrefined coaxium is extremely volatile. We WILL lose trillions if we hit a large vein. We cannot forget that a single ounce of refined coaxium is worth 17 billion credits. In addition, there isn't much loss in mass during the refining process so every ounce of the stuff should be treated like it's worth that much."

"We will only be capable of using a fraction of what we mine so it is going to be pure profit. Let's make sure we don't obliterate our gold mine before we reap some benefits. I'll put it in perspective for you all. If we can refine and hold 10 pounds of the stuff, we will be the most valuable company on Earth. I promise that everyone, even those not in this room, will get a hefty fucking piece of pie."

I glanced towards Samir and gestured towards the hologram of the Kessel System. "I do have a question, however. Are we going to join the Republic once we are in control of the system? If I'm not mistaken, there are plenty of corporate sectors out there. On top of that, selling directly to the Republic Navy could be a fantastic revenue stream."

Samir furrowed his brow, clearly in thought, before he glanced towards Paolo. "Paolo, I think you could better answer this question."

Paolo nodded quickly and sighed. "It would be a good idea. The value we'd be bringing to the table could force their hand in helping us secure the system against the long list of threats. It would probably also smooth things over when it comes to getting the controlled substance license."

Samir shrugged. "Well, Soryn, there's your answer." He then looked back towards Tyrus. "Is there anything else?"

Tyrus shook his head. "Negative."

Samir nodded in response, turning towards Sigurd. "Last, but definitely not least, Sigurd. Take it away."

Sigurd nodded and started scrolling through his datapad. "It's a fucking mess. Complete shit show. I can't even wrap my head around all of it. All I can do is tell you what's happening. We haven't figured out why as of yet."

"More and more players are taking the field by the hour. I've lost count of how many guilds there are now. Don't get me wrong, I have the number. It is just changing so fast that I can't say I know without looking. Let's see here… Ah! Four thousand seven hundred and three… No, two… Wait, four? Whatever, it doesn't matter."

"What's more important is that any guild with ambitions sees us as a threat since we not only had a head start but have also been growing our roots deep and fast. While we have yet to become outright adversaries with them, our members have begun butting heads with the other American and western guilds. Most of them are historic esports organizations, corporations, or government backed. Each type of guild poses a different threat."

"The direct opposition, of course, comes from the guilds backed by the Russian and Chinese governments and syndicates. I doubt it'll be long before middle eastern giants come to light as well. We suspect that with the advent of nuclear fusion becoming stable and viable for consumer use, the oil dynasties of the middle east will be heavily investing in guilds in order to have a new revenue stream. We must be careful."

"Pertaining to the hostilities in particular, my agents are currently chasing a major lead but to preserve OPSEC, operational security, I am not at liberty to explain more at this time. We have designated the intelligence as level 1. The one part of it that I have decided to declassify to level 3 is that there is going to be some sort of major confrontation sometime outside of 30 days from now."

Rosalina spoke up with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. The expression on her face somehow remained stalwart and full of contempt. "Any corporations in particular?"

Sigurd shook his head. "None of note at the moment. I am keeping a close eye on them. Especially the ones that specialize in hostile takeovers. They are swallowing small guilds left and right. I say the are out of their depth and are attempting to become too big to fall."

"That does bring me to my next point. Our member count just recently hit 20k. I highly recommend that we begin to regularly audit our members' activities and communications. I've already gone over it with the legal team, and it is completely acceptable as per both the employment and member agreements."

His expression turned extremely dark and serious. "No stone can be left unturned. I have a gut feeling that due to the lack of coverage as I build our network, we have already missed something huge. No tumors can be allowed to grow with these unprecedented stakes. I doubt any of us expected trillions of dollars to be at play when we got involved here."

"Thus, I suggest that as a part of this member audit system, we perform comprehensive background check of varying levels based on clearance level. The higher the clearance level, the more scrutiny they shall be put under. Unfortunately, that does include every person in this room. Galen and Soryn will also be checked. However, while all background information will be demarcated as level 1, the ones performed on owners shall be designated as level 0. Only the guild secretary and other owners will be privy to the information. Especially not the person on whom it was performed."

With all of this information, I could barely hold myself back. "HAHAHA! This is fucking GREAT!"

All of the corporate big wigs were very confused why I was laughing excitedly. However, the others were a bit different.

My aunt glared at me and spoke with slight venom. "What do you think is so funny about this? Is this a joke to you?"

I shook my head, trying my best to shove down the excitement. While I took a deep breath, I swept my eyes over all of the gamers in the room. They were all smirking and shaking in excitement. This was a big deal. It was also something I hadn't experience since I stopped gaming back in high school.

I smirked, looking straight at my aunt. "I'm not laughing because this is funny. It's actually quite exciting. Do you know what this means?"

My aunt furrowed her brow, even more confused by my response. "What is so exciting?"

I raised my brow and wore a smug smile on my face. "It's one of the most iconic occurrences in the gaming world. You might see it as an inconvenience but for us, it is what we live for. What am I talking about? Well, that'd be a guild war."