"Nice to see you again, Miss Planner. You look lovely today."
"Good morning, Mr. Maxwell. How are you doing? Thanks for taking care of Erica for me. I know it's a lot of extra work."
"Oh, I'm doing great. And it's no problem at all. She's doing a great job. I've been telling everyone she's the next big thing. I think she'll make a fine executive someday."
"That's fantastic news. I can't wait to see her spread her wings."
The distribution division's newest executive Maxwell was making a quick stop at Miss Planner's office on the top floor of the Tower to chat. The sweet Miss Planner was sitting behind her desk with a cup of coffee in hand, her eyes focused on her computer screen. She couldn't have looked more businesslike if she tried. She was dressed in an old-fashioned black suit with a pencil skirt, the word ‘Planner’ emblazoned in gold lettering over the right breast pocket. Her guest took a seat in the chair opposite hers and smiled.
Maxwell was a man in his mid-50s with a head of thinning black hair and intense-looking eyes. He sat back and crossed his legs, looking like a professional who’d just made an important sales call and was planning to close the deal. An entrepeneur who specialized in fine-tuning the operations of large corporations, he was the ultimate in polished, smooth communication. He was one of the few people Miss Planner trusted to properly manage the Chosen Ones' most important projects.
"I went with your other analyst, Gordon, to the Sage Desert... we're still working on the presentation, but I think you're going to be really happy with what we've come up with. Gordon's still over there with the Sage of Wind hammering out the final details. He's a clever guy."
"He always comes up with interesting stuff. Doesn't always translate to the real world too well, but I love the way he thinks. Did you get a chance to meet the new team yet? The money managers from Farha-Smith? They just got in this morning."
"Not yet. But I'm heading straight to the thirty-fifth floor after the distribution division’s morning meeting to help get them up to speed. The culture's totally different here compared to what these guys are used to. We need to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't get lost in the shuffle."
"I'm going to take it slow, baby them a little. You never want to rush a good hire. They're all pretty sharp, so they'll adapt sooner or later. I'm hoping the Pit Razors I bought for them will make the transition a little easier. If we can get them in the loop, they could really put the Chosen Ones over the top. You're coming to my meeting today, right?"
"Of course, of course. I wouldn't miss it."
"Good. I told them it's going to be a Q&A. I really need you there. I've been trying to figure out a way to explain our philosophy, our business model, everything, without overwhelming them. Kay from the Hands of Light is going to be there too. I think she's the perfect person to answer questions about the Chosen Ones. She's a real evangelist. Everyone loves her. But you have to be there for the serious stuff. Don't let me down, okay? I've been looking forward to seeing what these guys can do for us."
"I'm not going to let you down. Trust me. I mean, I know what I wanted to know when I got started here. I'll go over it with Line this morning and we'll see what we can come up with. Hey, I've got to get going..."
"Thanks. Thank you for everything. See you later."
"See you at the meeting."
Miss Planner put a lot of faith in the new team of high-level managers she snatched up from the insolvent Farha-Smith. They were bright, ambitious, talented, driven, and experienced people with a proven track record of success. She hoped they would help her shape the Chosen Ones into a lean, efficient money-making machine capable of outselling, outpacing, and ultimately outmaneuvering the competition.
But first, she needed to show them what the Chosen Ones were like and get them to understand the kind of organization she was building. She knew she had to be careful. If she told them too much right away, they'd get scared off. These guys weren't stupid, and any careless mention of the psychic drug war that was destroying Grandebelle from the inside out would probably send them running for the hills. So, instead of explaining the truth, Miss Planner was going to give them a gentle, friendly introduction to the Chosen Ones' world. A sanitized version of reality absent of any scary details or difficult truths. The tiny blonde tyrant put her impressive mind to work and began to write a fairy tale.
"Hmm hmm hmmm... they'd see right through any half-baked scheme I try to pull. The spiritual medicine angle is good, but it raises some difficult legal and ethical questions. If I could just get them to smoke this stuff a few times, I think they'd be ready to get on board, but we can't start with that. I want them to believe in what we're doing... we really do need them to help us clean up the mess we've made here. Should I show them something from the lab? No, wait. I know. This... this might just do the trick! Hehehe, it'll make them feel so special! They'll love it!"
