"Fun is contraband, and we're all about contraband" -Janet Teresa Williams, 2012-2046
/////
Introduction
There's many places in the galaxy to talk business - realwood-furnished boardrooms, hastily assembled holoconferences, a corner office on the pinnacle of Manhattan or a rapidly-venting airlock. Most people wouldn't count an extra-seedy dive bar on a certain derelict deathtrap-turned-spacestation as a nice place to be, much less a good place to talk business. Then again, the participants were hardly usual people. Both of the men in question were representatives of a certain spacer clan - each not particularly renowned, but with a solid and well-earned reputation for horribly immoral smuggling and terrifically large explosions, respectively.
...
Today was a pretty good day in Howard Williams' books. The atmospheric klaxons had only gone off twice, the station's Chief Medical Officer wasn't a lecherous nymphomaniac this time, his freighter hadn't picked up any new dents and the vigilantes eyeing him up didn't look too tough. And considering that his associate, Mordhauser, had finally returned his call, well, there's a good chance it was about to get even better.
The Mordhauser in question had just taken a seat across from him. Not that you could tell - the fine smog that The Hole in the Wall's bartender insisted was breathable atmosphere was pretty thick today, and it took a recognizable voice to remove both parties hands from their respective gun. Can't be too careful.
"So Williams. What's so important that you're calling me away from my bomb lab?"
"Well Mordhauser, I've got a brilliant plan."
"Aw no not aga--"
"No no no, nothing like that. I learned my lesson last time, honest. But listen, if this works we're both gonna be makin' a looot of money. I'm talkin' swimming pools made of gold here man."
"And what could a man like me possibly want with money?"
"Antimatter torpedoes, among other things."
"I'm in. What's the plan?"
"Well, I know a guy over on Pittsburgh..."
...
Howard Williams' week only got better from there. Before long, his half-baked get-rich-quick scheme had grown ships, crew, lawyers, a corporate registry, and even a proper name - Williams-Mordhauser Distributing, or WMD as they named their ships. Rumor has it that's a backcronym, but rumor also has it that spreading that around will get you airlocked faster than the Head of Security in the middle of a mutiny.
Who We Are: Williams-Mordhauser Distributing is a limited-liability corporation founded in 823 A.S. headquartered in Maltese space with the consent of the National Council. We are principally concerned with the trafficking of arms and munitions, though we also traffick cardamine, manpower, and dabble in various other illegal goods such as counterfeit software and human organs. The Board of Directors makes it a point to maintain a Sirius-wide distribution network, and to ensure that our pilots evade, elude, out-wit and out-fly naval patrols whenever they may try to interdict us in order to ensure steady and consistent delivery of our merchandise.
What We Do: Williams-Mordhauser Distributing is an organization of professional smugglers incorporated under Maltese Corporate Law. Unlike most smuggling organizations, WMD elects to approach our profession with highly-effective corporate methodologies, including (but not limited to) market research, price volatility analysis, commodity demand incentivization, high-interest layaway and competition discouragement. In the (paraphrased) words of our Chief Executive Officer, we traffick human organs from people we don't like, and traffick "Instant Armies, Just Add Manpower" to people we do. In addition, our board of directors has various project and ideas that may or may not see Williams-Mordhauser driven from Sirius with torch and pitchfork.
Corporate Registry: Williams-Mordhauser Distributing was officially incorporated on Malta in 823 A.S. and given the Maltese corporate registration number 554A9J21MTZ8X. Williams-Mordhauser Distributing is officially bound to no law other than those of the Maltese courts and recognizes no taxation or fines other than that which the Maltese authorities may or may not see fit to levy.
Diplomacy: Being incorporated on Malta in 823 A.S., Williams-Mordhauser Distributing is loosely Outcast-aligned. Being arms dealers and drug runners of some ill-repute, Williams-Mordhauser maintains unfriendly (but fastidiously not shoot-on-sight) ties with most Police and Naval organizations. The Liberty Navy bears particular mention, as they are, quote, "No-fun sticks in the mud". Being arms dealers and drug runners of a reliable nature and high quality, Williams-Mordhauser maintains friendly ties with most Sirius unlawfuls.
Zones of Influence: Being incorporated on Malta in 823 A.S., Williams-Mordhauser maintains a semi-regular presence in Maltese space; it is a much more comfortable home to many of our employees than the houses they may or may not have originated from. Our principal places of business, however are the industrial starbases and planets of various Houses from which the goods we traffick are created and sold, as well as the unlawful and quasi-lawful starbases at which our merchandise is most highly in demand. We do not have a base of operations, per se, so much as a Sirius-wide distribution network.
/////
Infoblock
Affiliation: Unaffiliated Quasi-Lawful ID: Freelancer Tag: WMD.******** Ships: "Whatever we can get our grubby little hands on" (WMD officially favors Civilian, Border Worlds, Junker and Zoner ships - C.C.) In-character objectives: To cultivate a reputation as a morally-bankrupt corporation. To traffick arms, drugs, and illicit cargoes throughout Sirius. To create business ties with unlawful and quasi-lawful factions, as well as morally-flexible lawful factions. Out of character objectives: To create fun and content for fellow spessmen. To promote casual & high-quality roleplaying. To have a good time - what more could a spessman want?
/////
Roster: Updated July 26
Williams-Mordhauser Human Resources Wrote:WMD.Firefly - Howard Williams, CEO - Serenity-class transport // Player: @Psyentific WMD.Mordhauser - Finn Mordhauser, CFO - Border Worlds transport // Player: @FreakyM WMD.Davidson - Donovan 'Donnie' Davidson, Chief Legal Officer - Mammoth-class transport // Player: @Donovan Darwin Davidson WMD.Whitehead - Caroline Convair, General Secretary - Osprey II Long Range Escort // Player: @Psyentific WMD.Hidalgo - Arturo Malinovsky, Head of Security - Montante-class Gunboat // Player: @Cataphrak WMD.Honeybadger - Stanley Westwood, Business Associate - Mammoth-class transport // Player: @McCormig WMD.Ctesiphon - Ctesiphon Jones, Business Associate - Serenity-class transport // Player: @Cataphrak WMD.TARTAROS - ??? - Nephilim-class Corporate Headquarters // Player: Shared Account
/////
Recruitment:
Prospective members shall answer the following questions to the best of their abilities, in this thread, using the form provided. The Board of Directors shall periodically review new applicants and issue an official decision, at which point the applicant shall be notified of the result.
Williams-Mordhauser Human Resources Wrote:Q1. What is your character concept?
Q2. In-character, what do you think we do?
Q3. Out of character, what do you think we do?
Q4. Why do you want to join us?
Q5. What is best in life?
/////
Contact:
Private Business Communications shall always be routed through this account, administered by the General Secretary and reviewed by the Board of Directors.
Official relations shall be handled through this account or through the directors personal accounts, as the mood strikes (I tried. -C.C. / Do or Do Not -HW)
Individual members may be reached through their personal accounts.
The Board of Directors may be reached through this account or through their personals.
/////
Roleplaying:
In the (paraphrased) words of our Chief Executive Officer, "If something fun happens, post about it here."
Williams-Mordhauser Distributing officially states that, despite our selective recruitment processes, this general thread (incl. message dump) is open to all spacers, so long as they do not "**** up the thread" (Please excuse the CEO's language -C.C.)
Williams-Mordhauser Distributing officially states that, while maintaining character is encouraged, out-of-character discussions involving WMD or its members are also allowed within reason.