Chloe cringed at that image. "Was it worse than getting a mud treatment?"
Alina shivered and held herself; the glow and the steam snuffed out. "It's like swimming in swamp oil, which, of course, refuses to wash out." Her shoulders stiffened. "So many things I had to pick out of my wings and hair…"
"I'm so sorry to hear about that."
"It's okay. I signed up for this. I have to be brave around most people no matter how they look or what abilities they have." Alina relaxed her arms and shoulders, then gave Chloe a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me. I have to make sure you start off at GVU right. Why don't you go inside and mingle? We'll probably start in about ten minutes."
Chloe nodded. "Thanks."
The conference room had a lot of open space with natural light coming in through tinted glass windows at the back where the snack tables were. When the light hit Chloe's skin, her body tingled. It was very considerate of them to think of people who could feed through photosynthesis. On the food table, she spotted a platter of blood worm breakfast sandwiches, which included the aforementioned worms, egg, and cheese between toasted English muffins. As she took a couple of the sandwiches, a gray-skinned hand reached across and also took one of the muffins. Chloe followed the hand to its owner, who looked at the sandwich, hesitated and tried to place it near his mouth and then pulled it away. It didn't exactly match the image of a guy of his stature: athletic, grey-skinned, bald, and in full security uniform.
"Come on, man! You can do it!"
"Eat the bugs! Eat the bugs!"
"Officer..." Chloe glanced up at his name tag embroidered on his suit. "Officer Trens?"
"I'm just a recruit," replied Trens.
"You don't have to be afraid. It's safe to eat that. They made it so that everyone can try it."
Trens leaned over closer. "I never ate things like this, that came from the ground before."
"You eat vegetables, right? Those also come from the ground."
"It's not what I'm used to."
Chloe glanced at the other security officers. "Did they ever try this?" she asked.
Trens shook his head. "It's better that I be the one to try it first. Nobody else was sure if they're safe."
"I don't think workplaces serve poisonous food to new people. And you're not allergic, are you?"
"No, I don't think I am." Trens took a bite of the sandwich and the other security people winced at the act. "Hey, this isn't bad."
Chloe nodded and took a bite; the taste of the worm patty was, as expected, savory, but the grease they used to fry the worms seeped onto her tongue. Accents of nuts and avocados accompanied it, which she didn't mind, but she'd very much prefer ingredients that meshed with the worm flesh. She'd rate this three out of five.
She took a bottle of water and trudged over and sat with the others also dressed in business attire.
"I can't be the only one who thinks real estate investments aren't bad in this day and age, even if the supply among planets is high right now," said a Demon Woman.
"The size-flexible segment of real estate has a lot of momentum, I think, especially with hive planets. Demand for lower-cost housing should be pretty strong," said a Woolian man with curved horns.
Another man, Silvan, with cabbage green skin and brow spikes, snorted. "Are you two serious? Forces that create and destroy manipulate the real estate market."
"I'd like to think the regulators have a handle on it,” said the Demon woman. “In some markets, you'd lose souls if you tried something foolish like that."
"Too many forces out there. The trades, politics, I wouldn't bet directly on it, but invest in some real estate funds."
"Ima-aa-gine if you had access to the investments on a planet like Earth," said the Woolian man. “It's in a solar system with a sun that will last at least another billion years with other unoccupied planets.”
"Earth is way too far away, and no one has made first contact with them yet," said the Demon woman.
"Not even the gods?"
"I have no idea."
Chloe leaned forward. "But, there are humans from Earth that are on Neerg, aren't there? I know I saw a few on TV."
The three turned toward Chloe. She shifted back.
The Demon woman sighed. "Whether it's by accident, fluke, or by the act of a god, nobody knows how the group of humans got here so quickly. Earth is what, a few million light years from us?"
"Last I heard, it thrilled them that they didn't have to pay the prices they used to for housing," said the Woolian Man.
"If that planet was on the market with a population in the billions, I'm pretty sure some would-be ruler would snatch it up," said the Silvan.
"It isn't that easy," Chloe said. "There was a documentary that showed them having nuclear weapons, though their technology is more primitive. So, if it was that easy, why hasn't anyone taken over Earth already?"
"You could just go to the nearest mercenary group and rent a few high-powereds to clear the planet," said the Silvan.
Chloe sat speechless.
"If I had that money," he continued. "I'd also be the most powerful guy on the planet, too."
The Demon woman snorted. "Just because you can manipulate your size?"
The Silvan folded his arms. "No human can defend against a giant Silvan." He turned to Chloe. "Right?"
"Up close, they'd have no chance. But with powerful enough weapons, any person could," said Chloe.
The Silvan glared. "That's a moot point. I doubt anyone here could make it to Earth on their own. Too much cost for little benefit to take over the human's home world."
Chloe bit into the sandwich, searching for something to defend those people with.
The Silvan Man continued, "They can't fly, they can't lift, they can't do magic, they can't transform, they're devaluing their planet by polluting it, so what is their worth?"
"Hello everyone!" Alina spoke through the speakers. "I hope you all had a chance to get to know a little about each other. It's now time we get started. I'm Alina Prettythorn, an HR Onboarding Specialist who will take you through the beginning of your Green Ventures Unlimited career. During the presentation, you'll be introduced to your department leader, who will take you through the rest of your first day. I believe most of you are either Security Recruits or in the finance department. For those who aren't in those departments, you should have been contacted by someone who will meet up with you afterwards to get you all settled in."
She flew up and over the crowd, although this time, she wasn't sparkling with green dust or on the verge of catching fire. She pressed a button on her remote and the screen began playing video from several places filmed around the campus.
"Green Ventures Unlimited is one of the Galaxy's top Hybrid Venture Capitalist companies," said Alina. "We have interests in a mix of start-ups as well as balanced growth companies that provide products and services to over 100 races and cultures. You might have heard of our companies like True Society, Specter Syndicate, Divine Real Estates, Turbo Transport, and McClare Memories. GVU operates with three values in mind: Green, Growth, and Go-getter."
"Green: This color symbolizes the values that we strive for as well as putting values in our celestial space body's health. Most of what is organic and supports habitable environments happens to be green. Of course, being in business, we do collect a lot of green as well."
"Growth: Our investments may have a focus on ventures of high-growth with high-risks, but we also value our business and you, our team. We have an interest and a commitment to invest in your career growth so you too can reap the benefits of working with us. In addition to your salaries, we offer a competitive benefits package which includes pension and a stock program where you too can become an owner and have an intimate stake in our success."
"Go-getter: To do this, you have to go get it. Your role in our company is one that you have great strength in, although I don't always mean your abilities, but your skill. I know a lot of you, mostly the security recruits, have
a power level well above the average person in our solar system, but that alone won't guarantee your success. The level of your skills will be what helps you in managing our assets or calming tense situations, among other things."
The screens switched to a gallery with portraits of the executive leadership team. The first person shown was a female human of Southeast Asian descent with brown hair and dark brown eyes under a pair of glasses. Under the picture was the name "Exia Kim, President."
"Our President is human?" whispered The Demon Woman.
Chloe leaned back in her chair and took another bite of her sandwich. The information about who Exia Kim was wasn't new to her. What was new to her was the Chief Executive Officer whose photo had a different background that the others. This Dr. Asfee Napoleon had a body that wasn't fully solid. It was a thick yellow smoke that somehow managed to carry a suit over him, with black marbles for eyes and black hair that ran past his shoulders.
“Is this the new guy they got?” whispered the Silvan.
“That's their third CEO in two years,” whispered the Woolian. “He just joined the company a month ago.”
“Revolving doors at the highest level, huh?”
Chloe would have to do a bit of research on him so she could stay ahead of the curve. Her view fell into the middle of the screen where her boss's photo was. Hilda Artemis, Chief Brand Officer, was a female Amazonian elf type, a Nyxazon, with long, pointy ears, blue eyes, strong muscular build, and blonde hair tied in a ponytail. When Chloe's gaze left the screen, pairs of eyes scanned her as she ate, and her heart leaped in her chest. She coughed and almost choked on her sandwich, and she would have, if not for the water at hand, that made the gulp louder and drew more eyes to her, including Alina's who flew in closer.
"You okay there?" asked Alina.
Chloe forced up a smile.
"As I was saying, your executive leadership team is an open team who appreciates your thoughts and feedback, especially where it comes to safety."
Cheers and whoops echoed from the group of security people, a lot of them were all in much better shape than she was and the majority of them probably could out-lift, out-run, out-blast, out-live, and maybe out-smart her. These people could very well be licensed superheroes if they wanted to. Getting hired into a company's private security force was the smarter thing to do these days if they could beat the competition; and it paid a lot better. It was a godsend for new graduates with mountains of debt.
"Let's introduce you to the leaders in your department who will take you through the rest of your day, starting with finance." Alina gestured to the door as it opened; a red-skinned demon with short hair and horns on the top of his head entered. He was average height, with blond hair and yellow eyes. He wore form-fitting khakis and a white shirt with brown shoes and had a smart-phone in his hand.
"Guess what?" he said with a smile. "Our stock went up four percent thanks to your hiring. With each dollar you put into the stock plan, we match fifty percent and have a competitive pension program. That means more green for you in the future. Get it? Green? Green Ventures? Ha ha."
Chloe rolled her eyes as a mix of chuckles and groans came from the crowd. A few hands went up.
"Yes?"
"Is the pension plan defined-benefits or defined-contribution?"
"We have both, but if defined benefits are what you are looking for, you should sign up for it soon, since it will eventually go to Hell, ha ha. I like your pointed focus. That's what we need in our department. Name's Jez'gaan, call me Jez. I'm the Senior Manager for Wealth Investments. My role is to keep everyone engaged and looking out for interesting places to park GVU's money. It's nice to look at numbers for most of the day, but not all the time. I also spend a lot of time putting ideas in people's heads like…" The slide changed. "A nice tropical beach with raging volcanoes in the background. That's one of the hottest places in Hell. If you don't like it, swap the volcanoes out and put in whatever background you have in mind. Do it now, close your eyes and imagine your happy place."
Chloe kept her eyes open and continued to watch, arms folded.
"Okay? Got it? Good. Think about what you need to do to get there and all the numbers involved. Now open them."
Most in the crowd opened their eyes and looked at each other, though a couple of the security people fell asleep and had to be nudged awake.
"That is all you need. Your formulas, plans, skills, and gut feeling to get to that place. GVU is investing in you because you are capable of those things and we can help you get to your happy place through salary and financial programs. I'd been in the business of helping people dream and connect with them for over four-hundred years before I decided to try something new and leave my comfort zone. I'm glad I did. Life is definitely greener when it has some red once in a while."
With a wink and applause from the audience, Alina flew up to the front again. "Thanks, Jez. Let's hope that red doesn't show up on our annual reports. Next, a leader from the GVU security force."
Everyone looked at the door. When it opened, people got what they expected: someone strong, powerful, and dominant. The height of this leader made many of the guys in the room flinch. As their torso and face became visible, a sudden silence fell on the room.
"Hey, you recruits," her voice boomed with her smile, revealing fangs. "Enjoy this moment while you can, because I'm your trainer!" Just like Hilda, this person had long pointy ears that were mostly hidden by her brown hair, puffy and curly in volume, green eyes, and brown skin. She was in full combat uniform wearing a bodysuit under chest, shoulder, and knee pads though Chloe doubted very much she would need it for protection as her muscular build exceeded all but the largest of the guys, only a couple of them, who sat in the back.
"What the hell is this? Female elves with muscles?" one of the finance people whispered. One eye blink later, the elf stood next to him, just a couple rows ahead of Chloe.
"Yup."
He flinched and almost fell over.
“You don't have to run from me. I'm here to protect you and everyone else, remember that." The elf tapped her pointy ear. "I'm on your side."
Chloe blinked again and the elf now stood next to one of the larger men, a ten-foot tall Stone Giant in the back.
"Hey recruit, what did you just say?"
He stayed quiet, mouth agape. The female elf folded her arms and smirked. "Come on, I heard what you said, and you got it right on the nose, say it."
The large stone man cleared his throat. "You're Bridget Ebony of the Nyxazon Knights. I watch your games."
Bridget gave the man a firm pat on the shoulder, and from her pocket she pulled an envelope.
"Good man, I love it when people come in with their intel ready to 'Go-getter'. In the field, things can happen, and people are counting on us to maintain peace. It's my job to train you to be the best at that. Being on the GVU Security Force will only make you better, and it isn't just about brawn either. Here, recruit, a reward: tickets to a Nyxazon Knights rugby game."
"Thanks, Bridget."
"That's Lieutenant-Commander Ebony to you, recruit."
"Yes, sir... ma'am?"
"Sir is fine, don't sweat it. More on that later, after onboarding. Alina wanted me to talk about who I am and what I do."
This time, Bridget walked at normal speed back to the front.
"I train recruits like you to become awesome at security. Being Nyxazon, I trained as a fully honoured warrior from my childhood days. I'm all about the gladiator fights and battles. Hearing the stories of how tough battles were fought and won inspired me. When I turned twelve, I started my gladiator career, and I sucked hard at it."
She paused as people looked and whispered at each other in surprise.
"Yeah, it's true. I hate losing so much, but I trained even harder so I could win. I never gave up and eventually, I finally won for the first time. Who has intel about me on how long it took before I won my first gladiator match?"
"One month?" asked a man.
"Nope, try again."
"A day?" asked another woman.
Bridget laughed, "Goddess, I love the respect Miss, but I wasn't that awesome, one more guess."
Chloe opened her mouth, but then closed it and shook her head. It was two years, but she wasn't interested in attending any of the Nyxazon Knights games.
"One year."
"Nope, two years. I went zero and twelve before earning my first win when I was fourteen. I went on to win a lot more matches from there. Once I turned twenty, I joined the Nyxazon Knights rugby team. In the next four seasons, we won three golds and one silver at the Universal Championships, not to mention two bronze at the Divine Championships. It's pretty popular on planet Nyxazon and my team was on the cover of 'PowerGame Magazine.' We even got in the swimsuit issue too during one year."
More murmurs.
"Hum? Ha ha! Go and buy the issue, dude, if you don't believe me. Oh, good one, I heard someone ask, 'wouldn't you be better off working in the Nyxazon Army or in construction?' To be honest, I'm not interested in that stuff. I wanted to live a cool and happy life. Working in security on a foreign planet was the next best thing. Lots of travel, fighting, sports, training, and food. If you want to get on my good side, treat me to a night out at a no-holds-barred buffet restaurant, but it isn't going to be cheap no matter where you take me. So, I'm going to tell you now, don't bet on 'taking Commander Ebony out for food,' for getting ahead. That's going to put a huge hole in your wallet. I can eat tons."
"How powerful are you, Commander?" asked a security woman.
"How powerful am I? You might just find out later today. But, hey Alina, how are we doing for time?"
Alina gritted her teeth while smiling as her hair floated and steamed. "Commander, I think everyone got a good enough idea of who you are." Alina's voice dropped to a hiss.
"You're sure? I forgot to talk about the missions I did here at GVU, like that one time I wrecked that Invasion force of 200 Kilen or saved planet Bonne from a giant meteor."
"Thank you, Commander." Alina flew right in front of Bridget with a hardened smile, and her strawberry-blonde hair glowed.
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