Welcome to Gaia! ::

Amon dismisses the apology with a wave of his hand.

Amon: "No need to apologize for what makes you comfortable. Behind me are the heads of each of the syndicate's four Sectors. Nathan Hewring, head of our offensive sector, Horus..."

A wiry and weathered man with mid-length gray hair and eyes concealed behind a pair of dark sunglasses, dressed in a double-breasted navy suit with a brilliant red tie nods to the man behind the desk.

Amon: "...Leif Nilles, head of our defensive sector, Seth..."

A man of less height than Amon but similar bulk inclines his head respectfully. His red hair is cropped short, and his brown eyes seem to be investigating every corner of the room as he tugs habitually at the sleeves of his gray suitjacket.

Amon: "...Leslie Knight, head of our intelligence sector, Thoth..."

A slender woman dressed in black formal attire nods. Her green eyes sparkle as one hand plays with the brown hair held back in a simple knot, a smile barely making itself known on her face.

Amon: "...and Trey Lorence, head of our medical sector, Imhotep."

An unhealthily thin and balding man wearing a camel suitcoat with gray slacks nods, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he does so. This maginifies his watery blue eyes and adds to the air of nervousness he seems to exude.

Amon: "I am Amon Ra, chief executive officer of the Ra Syndicate."

He bends at the waist in a form of sitting bow, creasing the black jacket of his three-piece suit that echoes the wear of the two Deity executives before him, then straightens and leans back in his chair, waiting for this Mr. Melleas to introduce himself and the other man who stood next to him.

Amon: Formalities are all a part of the dance...how I hate it.

The picture of his complex from the air did not seem to faze Amon one bit. There wasn't much to be learned from the layout, and there were very few distinctions between buildings other than size.

Amon: "And you want to get us first, before we're either claimed by your competition, go bankrupt and sell off our individual parts, or collapse and lose any sort of worth?"

His tone is level and polite, but in his mind he is seething with fury. Amon knew when he was being talked down to, and he didn't like it one bit. However, in the interest of finding out if he had hit the nail on the head, Amon keeps his tone civil and refrains from an angry outburst. He also hates what he referred to as "politic-speak"; obfuscation and double-talk, smoke and mirrors, but again, he refrains from comment.

How such a man gained such a high corporate position is a mystery, really.

Amon: I'll bet you don't see room for competition...

The threats in the financial officer's words were veiled, but there.

Amon: So it's join or be destroyed, is it?

He strokes his chin thoughtfully as if considering Judas's words, then muses:

Amon: "Including my syndicate."

Meanwhile, behind him, the Sector Heads seem to have relaxed slightly (except for Trey, but he's always nervous). Nathan has pulled a pen from his pocket and is spinning it around his thumb absent-mindedly, Leif is twiddling his thumbs, alternating the direction of rotation occasionally, and Leslie is writing down something on a legal pad that had been stowed in her briefcase.

Amon nods.

Amon: "Have I any say on what happens to my current assets in the course of a...merger?"

Amon knew assimilation was what was really being implied, and at this point he knew it was the only way to keep something that resembled the Ra Syndicate afloat. Otherwise, they'd likely tear them to pieces, and Amon had little doubt that they possessed the power to do so.

Amon listens to Pavel's explanation of what will occur if the syndicate is taken, and what he hears comforts him somewhat.

Amon: "My people have done some research on your current holdings..."

He reaches behind his back, and Leslie deposits her notepad in Amon's hand, which moves back in front of his body. Though the light in the room is dim, he scans the scrawled list before him.

Amon: "The sector which probably possesses the most technology that is novel to you is Imhotep, followed by Thoth, then Horus and Seth."

He returns the notepad to Leslie, who has a mischevious grin pasted across her features. Coupled with the increase in the intensity of the sparkle in her eyes, she is the picture of impish intelligence.

Amon: "As for what will happen to my senior staff and the members of the board..."

He leans forward and steeples his fingers.

Amon: "The board members can join your stock commitee, or whatever structure you have for overseeing profits. However, I ask that my senior staff remain with what was Ra Syndicate, and that we maintain our structure within your organization."

Before he presses his hand down, he looks at his Sector Heads.

Amon: "Your thoughts?"

Leif clears his throat and voices his opinion. Despite his large and imposing frame, he has a soft tenor voice that is pleasing to the ear.

Leif: "It sounds as though it will be in the best interest of the company, sir."

Nathan nods his approval to Amon as Trey speaks up.

Trey: "Sounds like a good deal to me."
Leslie: "Oh, hurry up and put your hand down, Amon!"

With a grin, he turns to Judas.

Amon: "The council has spoken."

Abruptly, his large right palm contacts with the screen with a thud, probably taking up more space than the outline on it covered.

The lead armored figure hit the door like a truck. Each door swung open to full extension and stayed there with an armored fist pinning one side open, letting the rifle point slack at the ground. The two pairs of men carrying coffin-sized crates rushed in through the doors.

Both dollies, which were essentially oversized palettes with wheels, steered the massive boxes to either side of the door under the spoken commands of the remaining two soldiers. With each box standing at six feet they would have made an effective barricade for the door.

Except there was plenty of space between them to access the door. Which the two soldiers did.

All six would later reappear three stories up on the open-air roof.