"Green light". The sound of those two words echoed in his head. It was done. He cast a quick glance at Luc; even in his subtle way of showing emotions, Luc's satisfaction was evident. "Let me say, I am, we are very pleased to hear all this, madame Cross. But before we toast, let us address your doubts and comments. By the way, from the aroma coming from over there, I believe dinner is ready as well. We'll try to be brief."
Luc took the floor."Let's start with the technical aspects. Regarding fuel consumption at cruising speed on internal routes equipped with tradelanes and jumpgates, the consumption is nearly comparable to that of an Enterprise. In performance tests, one of our usual liners, fully loaded with passengers and cargo, can travel the route from New Berlin-New London-Manhattan via the Omegas and Barrier Rim, arriving at its destination with about 5% fuel remaining. We anticipate similar, albeit slightly superior, consumption for the Lucullus as well. Naturally, for routes conducted almost entirely at sublight speeds using only the engines, the scenario changes. Factors such as speed, duration of engine usage, additional onboard consumption, and the simplicity of the route itself all come into play."
"Still,"Hector interjected,"it's a WSL ship, not a Triton. We don't anticipate any extraordinary cruises to remote systems."
"And regarding the costs, as I mentioned earlier, to make it operational by the next fiscal year, we need a total of 9 million Sirian credits. Considering a total of 1 million francs from the financial consortium of Baden Baden employees and my personal account, the company still needs to cover 8 million. The 9 million includes all expenses related to the renewal of the ship, the construction and maintenance of the main and secondary depots for internal routes, the fuel needed for cruises in the first fiscal year, and the advertising campaign." We have brought all the portfolios with the exact costs and technical details evaluated by our analysts. If you want, we can go through them one by one, but we will be here looking at them until late at night. Let the accountants from Curacao review them; after all, even with your endorsement, they are the ones who determine the actual financial feasibility, right?" "Exactly, Luc. If they find it feasible, Director, and I know we can do it from a purely economic standpoint, let's not dwell on this aspect any longer. Of course, madame, it's just a suggestion to avoid boring you too much. If you want all the details, we're available: we're both off tomorrow, so we can stay up all night with coffee and accounts,"Hector said, laughing.
"Anyway, we have a couple of ideas to save some money,"he continued, still chuckling."Now, I believe I have your full attention. For planetary depots, in addition to using Curacao and Baden Baden where we incur no costs for land acquisition, we were thinking of placing the one in Kusari on the planet Kyushu. I know it sounds somewhat unethical, given the recent surface disasters, but the prices for land parcels and long-term leases have significantly dropped.""Unethical perhaps, but certainly more advantageous for us." "And as for provisioning, we weren't planning on outsourcing. After all, it's just one ship, not an entire fleet. Our ONE convoys should suffice, and the portfolios also account for the management costs of this expense, considering we'll be using our own resources and ships."
A small bell interrupted their conversation."I believe lunch is ready over there,"Hector said."Not to rush you, but what do you think about moving there and continuing our discussion over a full stomach? There are a couple of matters, still concerning the Lucullus, on which I'd like to hear your opinion."
Cait smiled as she saw the Reaction of the Boys, they were like kids on Christmas who got what they wanted from Santa and then a bit more. Cait could see that they had a passion for this ship and that they would be the right ones to make it a success. She smiled took the Tablet Pc and checked the Calculations that they made. Most of it looked Solid and Right with the things they planned for the Liner. She would of course also Talk this through with the Finances Department, but of course, Cait would have the Last Word and she would decide about the Things in the End. And even if this Project would be a Failure then they could use this to lower the Taxes they had to pay at the end of the year.
Cait: well what I have seen and heard so far I will say that you have a Plan and that you have thought through this whole Project a lot. You thought what it needed to and made plans for where the ship would fit into the Orbital Fleet the best. You put a lot of work into this planning to give this Lucullus a Second Life that would save her from our Mothball Fleet.
She smiled as she stood up and walked with them to the Dining Room where the Table was already set up for them with Cutlery and Glasses. They could smell a beautiful Fragrance from the Kitchen and a Butler was standing in the Corner that would fill their Glasses with whatever they wanted. They could hear some Pop Music from Rheinland playing in the Kitchen and sometimes they would get a Glimpse of some Blonde Hair that Fly trough the Air as the Cook seemed to Dance in there. But then she would come out and smile at them. It was Hilda Weingarten, one of the best cooks of Orbital Spa and Cruise.
Hilda: hello Hector, oh and hello to you too Sir. I haven't met you before but I am happy to do that now. I am Hilda Weingarten, i am an Traveling Cook. For the Meal Today I Serve you some Gallic Food, the First dish is a
vichyssoise with a piece of beacon. I still Learn how to Cook Gallic Food so I hope I made this one Right.
Hilda said with a smile as she put the Gallic Soupe in front of them and then put a Basket full of Freshly Made Baguette on the table as well so they could eat that with the soup if they wanted. Cait smiled as she smelled the Aroma of the Soupe and loved it immediately. The Taste of onions, puréed leeks, potatoes, chicken broth, and cream mixed together into a wonderful flavor that seemed as if it would Revitalize the Body and take the Eater into a World of Flavor and happiness. Hilda would then go back into the Kitchen to Prepare the Main Course of the Meal and leave Cait, Steph, and the Boys alone again.
Cait: Oh dont you Dare to go Cheap on the Liner! This Ship will be one of the Crown Jewels of the Fleet. So you better save on nothing and transform the ship into the dream of Gallic luxury that our guests expect. I believe in you and I know that you won't disappoint me with this. We earn more than enough money to Finance the Ship and the Crew. We should only offer our Guests nothing but the best. Oh and Talking about the Best, this soup is Incredible Delicious.
Cait and Steph Realy Enjoyed this and would Drink a Gallic Red Wine to the Soupe and smile at each other while they enjoyed the time with their friends.
Steph: She is Right, with the Profits of the Liners and Both of our Planets we can afford it to spend this money on the Lucullus and make it into something great. But of course, we demand something in return, and that is 2 Tickets for the Maiden Voyage. I really love the Gallic Culture and the People, and we were often at the Holidays there. So if you can bring a piece of Gallia to Sirius then I would be really grateful to you.
The Two Women really loved this soup and would make happy faces as they ate it. But Cait was of course also with some thoughts on the business side of things. She knew that this would be the First Gallic Liner that would Operate in Sirius and therefore would be something Rare and could become realy Popular among the Tourists of Sirius. With the Right Routes and more importantly the Right Entertainment Program and of course the Right Cooks this would have the potential to Become one of the Most Profitable Liners in Orbitals Fleet.
"I must admit, Mrs. Weingarten, that this dish makes me feel as though I've returned home. I imagine you must have studied at some local culinary school; otherwise, I am astounded that a Sirian could achieve such heights in Gallic cuisine without having worked with our chefs."Hector, now free from the tension that had accompanied him throughout the first part of the interview, found himself ravenous and devoid of adrenaline.
"In truth, Director, we stand on the shoulders of giants. The initial work was all Dumais's, before he left us. In his quarters, we found most of the sketches for the interiors and very detailed studies on the ship. So yes, we did spend many sleepless nights on it, but they would have been many more without the contributions of those who came before us. And,"he said, raising his glass towards the couple,"you will, of course, have your tickets. In fact,"he added with a smile,"you'll be the first to board!"
Luc spoke up:"I believe it is clear from the data we have provided that not everyone will be able to board this 'crown jewel,' as you have called it. In fact, we do not plan to have any cabins below first class. To make this venture profitable, we must target the super-tourists, truly wealthy individuals willing to spend at least double the price of a regular first-class ticket. There is no classism in my words; it is simply business economics. We need to market cruises on this ship as the experience of a lifetime, the ticket to buy after years of sacrifice. The more this ship has an aura of unbridled, unattainable luxury, the more people will be willing to board just to say, 'I made it, I'm on board.'"
"For this very reason, madame, we sought your counsel. As I mentioned earlier, we have found Dumais's sketches, and we liked them. Both our vision and his are to show you Sirians that Gallia is not just what you imagine and, sadly, know. It is a place inhabited by people capable of loving beauty, art, nature, with a rich history and an extensive, boundless cultural heritage. To better express all the facets of our House, we wanted to recreate the uniqueness of each inhabited planet in Gallia, a deck for each one, each different from the other, from the setting to the services offered down to the smallest detail. Now, which shipyard is capable of providing us with all the skills necessary to bring our projects to life?"
"Does it make sense to talk about the Gallic Union or not?"Luc interrupted.
"I was just getting to that,"Hector replied, noting the couple's surprised expressions. "So. It is merely an idea on which I still wanted your opinion. Given the symbolic purpose of the ship, the idea of proposing an economic and artistic partnership to the Gallic Union crossed our minds. Knowing that we have no economic restrictions at least partly removes the necessity to contact them. However, the fact remains that an endorsement from the Union could assist us both in the Gallic domestic market and in acquiring artistic material from collections or new artists to decorate the interiors. Obviously, this would mean having a third-party entity with a distinctly military stamp on board. They might help us, but at what cost? Would we be willing to have, say, Union agents on board? How would the clients react to that?"
Hilda smiled and Blurted a bit as they praised her that much. She looked really happy that her food was liked this much. The way her Guests Reacted to her food was the thing that she loved the most. When a Guest Smiled and was happy with her food then this was better than all the money she could make with being a cook.
Hilda: Oh I haven't Studied at some Fancy Culinary School. I Prefer to Learn from Cooks in the Field. I often go to be an Intern in a Restaurant and try to Learn directly from those who cook these dishes every day. I also mostly choose Restaurants that aren't Fancy or special, I prefer to learn from those who cook for normal people. I believe that you should cook to make people happy and full, the look of the dish is only secondary. Of course, it is nice when you make your dish also good-looking, but if that is all that you try then it's a Cooking Failure in my Mind. I learned to cook this Vichyssoise in a Cute little cafe on New Paris, I visit them often when I am in Gallia. The Owner Paul has been a Cook for almost 4 Decades now, and he has so much experience that no Cooking School could ever Teach you in a similar way. But now I have to go back to the Kitchen and Prepare for the Main Course.
Hilda would go back to her kitchen with a smile as she would prepare a special Main Dish for them that needed a bit more Preparation. Meanwhile, Cait and Steph would enjoy the soup with their guests. Cait would enjoy the food for a While and then have an idea that might work. A little Internal Hype Driver that could be a PR Coup and give Orbital some Reputation Boost.
Cait: I like the idea of having this an ultra-rich ship that would have Certain Standards and Prices. But still, this would mean that some people might never be able to Afford a Ticket. So what do you think about a Litle Ticket Lottery? Let's say we set aside 100 Tickets a Year for the Lottery. I assume that this will be only a couple of Passengers Per Cruise that get their tickets this way. But we would possibly have Millions of Lottery Tickets Sold when there are only 100 Tickets a Year Available. This would of course allow us to say that we haven't built this ship only for the Super Rich, or to Get the Life Savings out of people. Plus I think the Chances of Winning will be equal to a Normal Lottery. But the Final Decision on this will be up to you. If you say your Marketing Concept is good enough then we might not need the Lottery.
She would think about the idea of cooperating with the Gallic Union. She herself was a fan of Gallia, well she was mostly a fan of the Culture and the People. She didn't like everything the Gallic government ever did. But she could separate the past from the present and she was Positive that they might find a way to cooperate with them.
Cait: I think Cooperation with the Gallics might be possible. If you want then you can Contact them in our name and see what they would want for such cooperation. I am sure you will find a Way to Cooperate with them while we still Uphold our company Neutrality Reputation. I would say we could Hire some Artists and Musicians from Gallia, oh and I am sure that Hilda could use her Contacts to find some good cooks for the Liner as well. I am sure that the Work Former Director Dumais did have an easy job with the Interior design of this ship. But I am sure that you can get some help with this from the Gallics as well.
She said with a smile while they could hear Hilda working in the Kitchen as she prepared the next course of the meal. She was again Humming a song while they could see how Hilda would dance through the Kitchen and taste some of the Ingredients. The cook looked happy and was having a big smile as the taste would be exactly how she had hoped it would be. Soon she would be able to serve the second course of the meal.
"‘It's a brilliant idea,’Hector said.‘More publicity, more revenue—it's a virtuous cycle.’
‘Frankly, I thought you wouldn't be happy about the lack of second and third-class cabins, but it seems I was mistaken. Again, if you have any advice on which shipyard to use for outfitting the interiors, please let me know now,’he said, activating a holographic arm-mounted touchpad.‘I can send the coordinates to the ship and get it underway. We already have enough fuel reserves on board to practically take it to any nearby shipyards.’
As soon as the screen disappeared, he turned to Steph.‘And concerning Hilda, madam, she truly is an example to admire.’
Luc spoke up.‘Regarding contacts with the Union, we'll try to establish communication when the ship is in an advanced state of preparation. I wouldn't want them poking around during the preparations; I don't trust those people.’
Cait and Steph smiled as they saw the Reaction to the idea of a Lottery to give the Middle Class some Chance to Win the Journey of a Lifetime and Experience the Luxury that only the super-rich can Experience on a Daily Basis. It could be a nice Second Source of Income for the Liner that could bring them even faster into the Profit Zone.
Cait: Well your Liner is not Made to House the Middle Class. This is a Fact that has to be considered and as long as the Liner Turns a Profit and doesn't Rack up more debt then I am a Happy Chairwoman and let you Boys do whatever you see fit.
She said with a smile as she saw how Hilda would Return to the Room with a Wagon that would Contain the Next Course of the Meal. The Cook smiled happily at them as she saw that all of them had completely eaten the Vichyssoise. She was always happy when her guests Enjoyed the food that she had served and ate all of it. She would quickly take away the used plates and cutlery and would then soon serve them in the next course.
Hilda would Put a Large Pot in the Middle of the Table that would be kept warm by a Small Mobile Stove Plate. She would then fill the Plates for Everyone and smile. Hilda had served again and Gallic Classic to them. The Beef was Cooked in Red Wine and a special sauce. It was slowly Cooked and had a wonderful aroma that would Fill the Room. Together with the Beef, she would Serve some Boiled Potatoes and some Mushrooms and Carrots.
Hilda: For the Main Course I have chosen to make some Bœuf bourguignon. I hope you like the taste, I took my time with this Dish and I hope it is too you like. The Beef was Braised together with the Sauce for several hours so it would become Tender. I hope I have captured some Taste of your Gallic Home in this Dish.
She said with a smile and waited near them as she wanted to see the Reaction of her guests when they Tasted the Dish. Hilda was Nervouse as she had never made this Dish for Real Gallic Citizens before. Of course, she had Learned to Cook this Dish from a Cook in Gallia, but there is a difference between the Words of Coleauge and the Words of a Guest.
Cait: Thank you, Hilda, for this Smells Wonderfull. She then turns towards the Boys and SmiledAbout the Cooperations with the Gallics I would also say that this is your Choice. You know the Gallic Society and Politics way better than I do, and I trust your judgment on this Matter. You could Contact our Friends at DSE for help with the Ship. I am sure they would make room for you at Baltimore Shipyards. But for now, let us enjoy this wonderful meal.
The Chairwoman said with a smile and would take the first spoonful of the Dish to eat it. She would make a Loud and Happy Moan as the Taste of the Dish would Hit her Tounge. She was clearly happy with Hilda´s work that was Clear.
"DSE, so be it. I've already relayed the information to my crew and my secretaries to arrange a meeting and a quote with them. We don't have the blueprints with us, but frankly, I don't think they'll need them.
But now you're right, let's focus on this masterpiece. The meat was sourced directly from New Paris, isn't that so? The quality is too exquisite to be Sirian meat."The two Gallics enjoyed their meal with gusto; between the journey and the appetizer, their appetites had only increased. "I wouldn't want to add another thing to discuss, Madame, sticking to the theme, but there's another matter I'd like to bring up: a few months ago, I launched a small open letter, a provocation, let's say, about the state of Riviera. As one might expect, it fell into the void and the forgotten realms of intranet communications. Now that I'm face to face with you, though, you can't escape it,"he said with a slight grin.
Cait nods as she hears this and agrees with the Decissions of Balzac and his Engenier. DSE was a good Company and Orbital was always happy with the Services that they provided.
Cait: Yes I am sure DSE will even give you a Discount for the opportunity to learn something about these Gorgeous Gallic Liners. I am sure they would love to use this knowledge to Upgrade the Enterprises and Oases that they are Currently Building. And I am sure they will put quite a nice Extra charge on our Bills for the Improved Products. But dont Worry I will Remind them who gave them the Chance to Study a Lucullus in the First Place to make these Improvements.
She said and laughed as she took another sip of her Wine and then enjoyed the beautiful meal that Hilda had Created. The Dish smelled Heavenly and had a Deep and Rich Taste. Hilda had truly captured the Soul of this Gallic Dish and had Fused the Tradition with some of the Influences that she had gotten from the Rheinlandic Upbringing.
Hilda: I am sorry to disappoint you but the Meat comes from a Farmer on Planet Stuttgart. I sadly wasn't in Gallia for a While so I had to go with other Sources. But I Promise the Quality is Equal to anything that you will get on New Paris. I have known the Farmer for a While and he Raises Free Range Cattle on a Big Farm, he is also the one that supplies Baden Baden with all the Meat that is used there. Basically, Orbital keeps him Afloat and ensures he doesn't have to sell his Land to the SynthFoods Bastards.
She said as she returned to them to Refill the Wine Glasses and to see of they liked the Food. They could see that Hilda had a Great Destain for SynthFoods. Something that shouldn't be too surprising considering that they try to sell their Unidentifiable Paste as Food, or even Gourmet Food. This was something that made Hilda as a Cook really Angry. It was something that attacked her pride of being a culinary artist, and she only wanted to make her guests leave with a happy smile because they liked the food she made.
Cait: I will tell my Secretary to look for this letter and then we Discuss it at Breakfeast Tomorrow. It is already Pretty Late and the Poor Guy deserves some Rest. And we do as well my Friend. But i Promise we talk about it before you leave Tommorrow.
Cait Said as Stephg would already Send a Mail to Caits Assistant about the Matter. And just as they Finished with the Main Course Hilda would enter the Room with the Dessert. Hilda had made some Beautifull Savarin Cake that she would Serve with some Vanilla Ice Cream as a Side Dish. The Cake was really Soft and Had a Wonderfull Orange Taste and was filled with some Fruits and had a Little Whipped Cream on Top.
Hilda: And here is the Dessert. This was one of my Teacher's Specialties, the Gâteau Savarin. It is one of my favorites and I have also put one of the sides for myself. I really hope that you enjoyed my Cooking Today and that I can Satisfy your Hunger.
She said with a smile as she cleaned the table of the Plates from the Prior Dish and watched them take the First Bites of the Dessert.
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