Log:Dinner Conversation

2013/02/25 	 Anthony Quinn 1

Serafino's, a Colonial Bay tradition and one of the finest restaurants in the city. Views of the bay are seen through the massive glass walls to the east. Its interior is resplendent in crisp white and deep maroon. Tables spaced with delicate care achieve the perfect balance of intimacy and atmosphere. The staff are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable, watched over by the maitre d' to insure a pleasant dining experience for the patrons. The world-renowned cuisine includes traditional Italian dishes as well as a variety of seafood and nouveau fusion dishes. There is always demand for a table; reservations are required, and a dress code is strictly enforced. Then, too, the prices are as high as the quality of the food... but Serafino's is never lacking for business.

Philippa is running late; she calls from the road that she'll be a bit delayed for the business dinner.

Anthony takes advantage of the delay doodling a holographic design in the air with a stylus as he works out some ideas for a new set of armor.

Eventually, she shows up, about twenty minutes late. At a glance, Philippa is an attractive blonde in her early-to-mid twenties. She arrives wearing a stunning ensemble, a little black dress that's perhaps a little too short for the more older and more conservative patrons here, but definitely in vogue for the season. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Tony. Were you waiting long?"

Anthony double clicks the end of the stylus, saving his his work and causing the sketch to vanish, sucked up into the tip of the device. "Phillipa," he says with a smile as he stands and extends a hand. "It's all right. I was able to take advantage of the time to work out a couple of ideas." He gestures to an empty chair across the table from himself. "Please, join me."

"Please," Philippa says, as she slides into the empty seat. "My friends call me Phil." She glances over and catches the eyes of a waiter who begins to walk over to the table. "Have you eaten here before? It's one of the top restaurants in the city."

Anthony gives a nod of his head as he slips into the opposite seat. "Just once before," he replies. "I haven't been in the city all that long and so I'm still making the rounds, trying the various establishments."

The waiter comes by for drink orders.

"I grew up here," Phil says. "Though I've been away for a bit. If we can get this project off of the ground I might have a good reason to stick around..."

Anthony pauses a moment to think about the drink order before ordering a bottle of Albarino from a California winery. "Yes, you mentioned something about this project the other day," he says as the waiter departs. "Something about putting Transmat out of business?"

Philippa pauses, about to order something herself. She seems to assent to the choice of wine. "I'm not sure if you know much about my background, Tony... Caveney Shipping is one of the largest international shipping concerns in the world. When I inherited control from my father a few years ago, I didn't really care much for the business. Now, a few years, later, I realize that I have a real opportunity, and an obligation to do what I can to make the company better."

The corners of Anthony's lips twist up slightly in a hint of a smile. "I'm fairly well acquainted with Caveney, though since Quinn Industries is in such a different field the depth of my knowledge in Caveney is limited," he says. "I gather this obligation to improve your father's company includes branching out to compete with Transmat and Hypersite?" he asks, folding his hands in front of himself and resting them on the table.

Philippa nods. "Freight teleportation is the future. We need to revolutionize our business before we find ourselves extinct, but we don't have anyone with the technical know-how to help get us there."

Anthony nods and smiles. "Then your statement about putting Transmat out of business was a bit of hyperbole?" he asks. "After all, freight transportation is only one leg of Transmat's business model." He arches an eyebrow slightly. "Or are you considering going into the passenger business as well?"

"Freight would be our focus initially," Phil says. "But believe me -- my goal is to become number one. And to that end, I wanted to float with you the idea of a partnership of sorts. Our resources and your technical know-how..."

Anthony spreads his hands slightly in a bit of a palms-up expression. "It is an interesting prospect," he says, "but one that causes me certain concerns. As you're probably aware I inherited my company from my father only about five years ago and like you I came to a bit of a realization. In my case, however, it was that I have an opportunity and obligation to make not just my father's company but the entire world better. If I were to help to develop a system superior to Transmat's, not a simple task I might add, it would be important to make that system available to as many people as possible as opposed to placing it under the control of a single company."

Philippa's brow tightens as she tries to figure out Anthony's perspective. "You want to revolutionize technology... then give it away?"

Anthony chuckles a little. "Not entirely," he says with a smile. "Profits are necessary in order to fund future research and development, but I am interested in making sure the it is distribution of the technology that is maximized rather than profit. Do you understand?"

"I understand what you mean, yes, but not what you hope to accomplish by it," Philippa says, shaking her head slightly.

"As I said," Anthony replies, "I hope to make the world a better place. For nearly fifty years now mankind has stood poised at the brink of leaving its cradle but then the Guild showed up and we stopped developing, waiting for the Guild to help us make the next step. However that help hasn't really come." He gives a shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe it can't," he says. "Maybe the Guild believes a species has to take that step by themselves and they are just waiting for us to do it. At any rate it seems to me that if we as a species are to survive we have to once again start moving forward. That, however, is something that is too big for any one person to do, so I hope to create a world where others have the opportunity."

Phil nods, understand. "That's too bad... It seems as though your heart is set on space. If we were to partner up, I'd need your attention to be in the teleportation work."