Side Quests for Harem and Power 9: Corporate Dick Measuring (Patreon)

Noveria, which was where I was heading, was part of the Horse Head Nebula, which was partly part of the Systems Alliance’s territories. Noveria itself and the system that it resided, however, was not. 

This was, thankfully, because the Asari Republics had long since established their presence in the region, though it wasn’t a particularly strong presence. The Asari Republics were weak there, yes, but not its corporations. There was a reason why the entirety of Noveria was under corporate control; the planet, its solar system, and local area was effectively under the control of a megacorporation that was older than the Systems Alliance as an organization. 

For comparison, the GDP of the Alkanias Corporate Holdings, which was the name of the megacorp that was composed of twelve corporations that more or less ruled all of Head Crab Nebula outside of systems owned by the Systems Alliance, was a tenth of the Systems Alliance GDP.

There was no comparison I could make to 21st Century Earth, because even though I wanted to because of just how familiar I was with it, there was no comparison. 

It would be like saying that Switzerland had the GDP of Germany, but there were no countries with similar size and population to Switzerland with that much GDP. They were powerful economically, financially, and politically, but they were - at the end of the day - a megacorporation whose security wasn’t exactly up to date, mostly because no one bothered them in their little corner of the galaxy. 

In essence, Noveria wasn’t somewhere that people expected trouble. It was a frozen desolate wasteland where what might be considered a big scandal was a sex scandal, and it was in a region of space that wasn’t a hotspot for trouble unlike Skyllian Verge. 

So thankfully, my voyage into and across the Pax system as well as the landing on Noveria all happened without a hitch.

“Good evening, Mr. LeClarent,” the turquoise Asari representative of the Alkanias Corporate Holdings greeted me after I walked into her office. She smiled her full lips and soft eyes, but with a clear demeanor of someone experienced in diplomacy; it was in the way she controlled everything about herself from body language to the slightest movement of her face. “Please, come in.”

She led me deeper into her office, a large room on the middle floor of one of the many towers at the center of Noveria’s one and only city, Noveria City. Naming scheme of these Asaris were not too different from humans. 

She was also the first Asari I’ve met, and I had to say that she looked … exceedingly plain. 

I took care not to look directly at her back or ass as I compared her to Asari’s I have seen before. I have seen Asaris on commercials and news as well as in the game, Mass Effect. In the game and for most of the Asari that appeared on screen, they were beautiful.

This Asari was not. She looked… normal, nothing more and nothing less. 

She walked around her crystal clear glass table and sat down on her leather office seat. She extended a hand and gestured for me to take a seat across from her. 

I glanced down at the chair offered and wanted to scoff. It wasn’t unkempt per say but there was a distinct lack of respect in expecting me to sit on something so low quality. 

“I’m only here to extend an invitation,” I spoke calmly, not choosing to sit down and ignoring the insult. I doubted that the Asari in front of me didn’t research me, not when I sent the ACH my intention to see Noveria. “I will be holding a party for the board members and executives of the Alkanias Corporate Holdings. I’m hoping to see which company will be good enough of an investment.” I glanced down at the cheap chair and the name of the company underneath … Renera Enchemni’s name on the plaque. “Though I suppose that Sallamin Constructions might not be high up on my list.” I gently set a business card, an expensive relic of the past, on her table and left without her prompt before she could stop her own stuttering. I ignored her as her office doors slid open automatically, and before long, I was walking out of the office tower into the industrial-residential junction. 

What I did there was simple: I set the tune for how I wanted this party to be. As far as I knew it, Alkanias Corporate Holdings was still twelve different corporations who banded together to hold a firm control over the Pax system and its crown jewel, Noveria. It did not mean that they had the same leaders or the same interests beyond control of this system and planet. Indeed, I have been studying in regards to Asari corporate anthropology, and it was clear to me that Asari, despite their outwardly unified appearance, were even more prone to factionalism than humans. It was why Matriarchs held so much power in Asari society; they represented not just wealth, wisdom, and might but also a focal point for political and societal faction. 

And ACH was no exception to that. Each of the corporations vied for more resources and power. While outright assassination was outlawed and “just not done,” blackmail, espionage, and minor sabotage was all fair in this game of theirs. 

What I did was make the Sallamin Constructions weaker in the eyes of its peers, because I knew with certainty that each of these corporations were spying on each other. 

And on the off chance that the representative I’d just been insulted by was not spied on, I could always drop hints to representatives of other corporations that I was miffed by Sallamin’s attitude towards me.

I was a resource looking to dip my feet into this system. That made me someone to please and seduce. 

Aahhh, corporate diplomacy and intrigue. It’s really not that different from regular politics. 

Eventually, I made my way back to the Guest Sector, which was where the small gift and other souvenir shops were. I thought about what I should get Jeanette and Cortana. Jeanette would probably appreciate dolls, no matter how corporately designed products those dolls were - and thus not necessarily reflective of Asari society in general.

Cortana, on the other hand… I wasn’t sure what she might -.

Tri-ri-ring. Tri-ri-ring.

Was that…?

“Cortana~!” I greeted cheerfully, happy to have my favorite AI contacting me. Cortana appeared no different from humans and Asari in how she appeared as a hologram, but I knew - by the lack of blinking signal that normally blinked during a call - that she was here. 

“Steven, we’re in trouble.”

That did not sound great.