by Rick Riessen [ chrome@badkarma.org ]

> Okay, got myself into a DeeCee business directory and did a little browsing, looking for some fun. Lo and behold, I find myself a winner. Manufacturer of fine personal and corporate jets and VTOLs, Select Aviation has found their way into the circles of many tiers of the government, corporate, and celebrity worlds. Although only an A class corporation, they appear to have ties in many places, both government and corporate. Give this little tidbit a good read and see for yourself.
> Chrome Tiger

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Primary Business

Select Aviation has provided advanced aviation solutions to personal, government, and corporate clients since shortly after the turn of the century. Their 'flagship' aircraft, the Eaglecrest medium sized commuter jet, was their stepping stone into the market in 2013 and continues to be one of the most wanted planes in the market. Now their production fleet includes 23 models of varying styles and sizes ranging from personal two-person commuters to large continental cruisers to the new UCAS F-88 tactical patrol fighter. Select has been granted aviation research grants by the UCAS government for the past five years for their continued work in experimental aircraft. Other products from Select include fully automated flight systems, advanced tracking and transponder systems, and aircraft environmental systems.

> With a little digging around, I have found a few tidbits putting Select in line for providing emergency response vehicles for the new orbital research platform being put up by Ares Macrotech. Looks like Select is stepping into position for work in the aerospace industry.
> Chrome Tiger

Corporate Structure

Still a mostly family-run company, Select is a very tight-knit organization. Several executive positions throughout the company are filled with family members who appear to be on good terms with each other and no intra-organizational feuds are evident. Close family backing and large bank accounts have managed to help fend off several hostile takeover attempts, including attempts by Bell and Lockheed.

Each of the remote manufacturing facilities are managed by local offices that maintain organization through channels from headquarters in DC. Present at each remote office are a regional executive officer and support staff to see to the daily operating of the facility independent of headquarters.

> It can't be all sunshine and roses - you know how family run corps are, the kids eventually want to steal the show from the old-timers. With things heating up around the Probe Race, watch out for some family fueds inside Select Aviation.
> The Game

> You know, you're right. Rumors have it that the younger executives and family members are out of place in Bragham's old-school ways and are only following suit so they are either able to keep their office, keep their name in the will, or both. There are even a couple of security vidcaps from a nearby nightclub in DeeCee showing young Jeremy Bragham mingling with some unsightly individuals. Who knows what they were discussing?
> Chrome Tiger

Security

Physical security for the corporate headquarters in DC is contracted to Lone Star and appears to me to be more than adequate. Each of the manufacturing facilities is equipped with a host of armed guards and light duty vehicles and drones. Onsite security personnel at each of the manufacturing facilities are screened and employed through Select's personnel department and trained at the Ares Security training school in Detroit, Michigan, UCAS. Support contracts with Lone Star are in place if additional assistance is necessary.

Magical security and internal astral screening are provided by a handpicked team of mages with a wide variety of talents. Each location has a hardy compliment of mages and watcher spirits regularly patrolling the perimeter, alert for any unauthorized astral activity, and fully capably of dealing with most any situation. Select also keeps a host of various awakened animals on patrol on the grounds of their manufacturing facilities.

Matrix security is in-house as well. James Coudall, an ex-UCAS NSA agent, heads up a team of four street-trained and very apt deckers, providing a tight curtain of security for Select's three access sites. Most of the data and control systems for the corporation appears to be kept in either manual connect systems or tightly controlled with heavily secure access algorithms.

> Lone Star security and backup forces and Ares security training? Oh really? Well, it sure seems they've managed to get themselves in tight with a few higher-ups, so to speak. Throw a couple of complimentary jets at some people and miracles happen.
> Fighting Spirit

> That's nothing... There was a report filed in the Orland Park County Clerk's office of a lawsuit settled out of court between Select and the family of a worker that was apparently mauled by some sort of awakened watchdog that didn't like some trinket the guy was carrying.
> The Game

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> Okay, this little family run business may seem like a little bit of fun waiting to happen but remember, they have friends in high places. As for a summary of their matrix security let me tell you this... They appear to have some creative talent in there. I skimmed their nodes to get a peek and I must say, it looks pro. Not for the light-hearted. Oddly, some of the front-end code looked familiar. Kind of like that of the Z-O. Can anyone confirm this and post a note?
> Chrome Tiger

Plot Hooks

1. A member of the DC Mafia family approaches the group with a task that would result in tremendous gratitude from the family. A member of the local corporate community has seen to it to not pay her gambling debts, and when confronted had her bodyguards discreetly eliminate the enforcers, of whom one was the son of the local don. Due to a recent unfortunate media incident, any member of the local family that is caught breaking the law faces exacerbating an already bad situation. Because of this, they have resorted to hiring an outside faction to exact repayment.
   
   This young gambler is none other than Walter Bragham's niece Marissa Corinne who has managed to find her way into a massive gambling habit.
2. The group's fixer calls with a job to do-a DC corporate executive wants to have some information extracted from his employers' computer system. He offers no explanation as to why he needs this information and why he needs somebody else to do it, he just needs it done. The data needs to be physically acquired from the DC facility, as it is kept in an offline storage server, not available to the matrix.
   
   Young Jeremy Bragham has a problem, a sim and drug problem, and he needs the extra cash. If he stages a datasteal and makes it look like it came from the outside, he is in the clear to sell the information to a competitor through the black market without raising suspicion against himself.