Setting Down Roots

[Ellie Mors]

There was little to discuss when it came to expanding Koros Spaceworks to Widek.

It was the seat of the Widek Pass, a hub of trade, and a civilized enough to dissuade any fears of local uprising for corporate intrusion. Construction had been underway for months now, and it was nearing its completion - the Widek branch for Koros was expected to be established by late 850. Part of her responsibilities as the corporate executive officer for the starship company, however, required her to oversee the progress of such things, which explained the absence of the Empress of Teta for the last three days.

"How many starships will the branch be able to push out on an annual basis?" The thirty-year old empress asked, her tone as dull as this trip was turning out to be. She'd taken on the persona of a bland, boring, corporate executive for this meeting because of how boring the trip had become. She'd ate Atrisian for the third night in a row, enjoyed not a single bottle of Whyren's, and now she was forced to sit with a the four people that she'd, some years back, designated for the positions of leadership in the company that opening this branch would create. "We aren't expecting to be able to match the production model of Teta, Empress, but we have more than modest numbers anticipated for the next fiscal year. At least two thousand starfighter-sized crafts, fifteen hundred freighters, three hundred frigates, and fifty ships of larger capacity. As we are not an Orbital Shipyard we do not expect to be able to outperform other land-based manufacturing plants." A thinly-rimmed glasses-wearing man answered. He, like many of the others in the room, were a good two decades older than the young executive and carried quite a considerable amount of experience with him.

She nodded, happy with the numbers he'd listed off to her. They were, of course, only possible if they were working at peak efficiency and with as many orders as they could handle, but such figures were more than acceptable to justify the cost that expanding to Widek had sat in her lap. It was an expensive venture, and with her other role as the Empress of the Empress Teta system taking much of her time it wasn't one she'd been able to put to work until things had cooled down following the fall of the One Sith.

 

[Ellie Mors]

She moved a hand, scribbling a note down on her datapad with a stylus that was emblazoned with the company's insignia, and pursed her lips as a thought entered her mind. "How many employees did we settle on for opening day?" She asked, referring to a discussion she'd had in the past with the group about how many workers would be hired to start the new branch off for its first day of operation. The number had slipped her mind and it really wasn't pertinent to anything but her own whims, but she was responsible for the entirety of the corporation and every employee it hired so it mattered in her mind. "I'd have to check the numbers we have on file, but it was around eight hundred for the first quarter." Answered another, his expression one typical of his anxious personality. Unlike the man that sat directly across from Lily - the man who'd answered her previous question - he was not wearing spectacles of any kind, and the only sign of his age was the slight graying of the sides of his hair.

"Right, I believe it was something close to that - perhaps a bit north of that number - but we should have plenty of earnings to pay their wages and provide benefits, provided they sign on as contracted employees." Lily responded with another nod, opening her mouth to breath in sharply as another idea struck her. "I want every contracted worker given access to their benefits starting on their first day of work, and give them an evaluation for performance and opportunities for a raise every six months." The Tetan said, drawing some surprise from one of the other executives she'd appointed to the Widek branch. "Excuse me, Miz Kuhn, but we're hiring all engineers, management, and those working on the assembly line on a contractual basis - do we have the funds appropriated for that many employees? Isn't that a tad bit excessive?" A silver-haired woman that sat in the rear of the group, all of who sat in a cluster of leather armchairs across from Lily's seat at her desk.

 

[Ellie Mors]

"I've got the numbers of the contracts we have signed, and the cost worked out for each of those hired, so I am well aware of the potential draw on the Widek Branch's funds, Miss Neim." Lily answered with a small smile, evidently having worked out this discussion in her head prior to the meeting. "I have invested some of my own salary for the next year to ensure that our employees at this new branch are able to support themselves and their family as soon as is possible - I want to build a presence on the planet that shows that Empress Teta and Koros Spaceworks are out for profit as much as they are for the support of their people. If we want to create a positive atmosphere in the workplace, it is best that we start by treating our employees with the appreciation we want them to show us in the effort they show at work." She explained, dotting down more notes on the datapad as she spoke.

"Y-your own salary?" "Are you sure that's wise?" "A bold move." She chuckled at the simultaneous reaction to her admission, though she noticed the expressions they wore were much happier than their responses denoted. "Yes, I have cut my pay by a fifth quarterly in order to celebrate the opening of this new branch with a bonus for each existing employee - yourselves included - as well as absorb some of the cost that could, potentially, arise if every single factory worker and engineer needed medical work done at the same time." Lily said with a smirk, marveling again at the shift in expression to an even greater showing of appreciation. Unlike many of those who worked under her, Lily didn't necessarily need her wage to survive - her living expenses, aside from some private expenses, were paid for by a fund set aside for the royalty of her system. She still paid for her own travels when possible, and she still paid for anything that didn't directly affect her ability to perform as the effective ruler of a people, but it left her with a surplus each quarter that she could afford to go without.