<h4>Chapter 278 Restructuring and Reprogramming</h4>


    With Aron''s words, the meeting started and Nova immediately materialized in front of them. She sat in her chair as she took the position of secretary, but also the restructuring project manager.


    [Let''s start by listing thepanies and what they''ve been doing before I exin the reconstruction n. That way it''ll make sense.


    [First is GAIA Technologies, which introduced Gaia OS, Pangea, BugZapper, and a hit game to the world. It was also the firstpany Aron built andter incorporated aw firm, which still acts as thepany''s legal department.


    [Next is Connect, LLC, which has been providing inte, electricity, water, sewage services, and transportation throughout Eden.


    [Then there''s Hephaestus Heavy Industries, which is responsible for the production of all physical products that all thepanies need.


    [Andst, but not least, is Helios Energy, which has been awarded the contract to extract and refine the crude oil deposits in Eden and Esparia.


    [In order to manage the security of Eden, Esparia, and the rest of thepanies, ARES Security, LLC, was established.]


    Nova had listed the currentpanies under Aron and delineated their areas of responsibility in a sinct, easy-to-understand fashion. Everyone nodded as they listened and looked at the disy screen next to her that showed infographics on eachpany as she mentioned them.


    [That''s our current list of properties, but the bloat and redundancy is beginning to grow. So tobat that, I suggest a restructuring as follows....]


    Aron handed everyone a folder, so they could follow along with the presentation in hardcopy form.


    [First, Connect, LLC will be Connect Enterprises and divest the departments that aren''t administrative, such as human resources. They''ll also take over the legal and IT departments from GAIA Technologies. Connect, LLC will be renamed Connect Enterprises and act as a parentpany for the rest of ourpanies, which will operate as incorporated subsidiaries.


    [So GAIA Technologies will be GAIA Technologies, Inc. and will be responsible for the software and hardware product sales, including BugZapper, GAIA OS, Pangea, and GAIA Games. They''ll also absorb the inte utility from Connect andunch GAIA Broadband.


    [Helios Energy will be Helios Energy & Utilities, Inc. and will be responsible for oil extraction and refining, as well as delivering utilities to customers, like electricity, water, and waste disposal.


    [Hephaestus Heavy Industries will be Hephaestus Industries and Manufacturing, Inc. and will be responsible for manufacturing any product required or designed by the otherpanies under the Connect umbre. They''ll also be in charge ofnd spection and development, as well as construction.


    [ARES Security, LLC will be ARES Security Solutions, Inc. and will provide security services to all of ourpanies, as well as armed forces, mercenarypanies, and private security for high-value individuals,] she said.


    Essentially, all of the administrative departments in eachpany would be divested and taken over by Connect, which would in turn divest their utility and rail divisions, bing a centralized administrative resource for all of the subsidiarypanies under it.


    [In addition to those changes,] Nova continued, [there will be a few morepanies incorporated under the Connect umbre.


    [First is Hermes, Inc., which will be an import/exportpany responsible for bulk international freight as well as shipping within Eden and Esparia. They''ll be taking over the railwork that Connect will divest as well.


    [Next is Plutus Ventures, Inc. It''ll be a venture capital and hedge fund that''ll provide macro and micro loans, either as venture capital or angel investing. They''ll be the ones responsible for all financial aspects of thepanies under the Connect umbre.


    [Thenes Icarus Airlines, Inc. That''ll be our passenger airline and low-volume, high-value shipping service. It''ll operate out of our new airport here in Eden as its main hub.


    [There are a few morepanies we''ll beunching and incorporating under the Connect umbre, namely Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc. and the Coeus Foundation.


    [Asclepius Biotechnology, Inc. will be our medical research branch. There, we''ll research and develop medicines and medical hardware. They''ll also operate a number of teaching hospitals, local clinics, and a medical school.


    [Andst, but certainly not least, is the Coeus Foundation. That''ll be our charitypany, as well as endowment management. They''ll fund and operate private schools at every level, from pre-kindergarten all the way through university, including post-doctoral degree programs. They''ll also be in charge of managing a charity fund whose purpose is to uplift and increase the standards of living in rural, poor, and underserved areas around the world,] Nova finished.


    Aron, Felix, and Sarah watched as the AR disy popped up infographics for each of the newpanies, then read through the hardcopy reports in front of them. Nova had only outlined general responsibilities, and all three of those who were physically present in the room were interested in the intricate details.


    Silence descended in the room as they pondered the things that would happen if they were to go forward with the n.


    "Since it''ll increase efficiency and cut costs, I don''t see why it shouldn''t be adopted. What do you think, Felix?" Sarah said.


    "I just have a few questions about the newpanies," he said.


    [Ask away,] Nova said, weing the questions.


    "Based on your presentation, you mentioned otherpanies would be created. Does that mean they already have products to release, or would they be incorporatedter?" he asked. His main focus was on Asclepius Biotechnology, apany that he had little to no information about. He had his guesses, but wanted to know exactly what it was.


    [Asclepius Biotechnology will deal with everything about life. From food, to medicine, and everything in between. Initially, though, it''ll focus on improving the health of Edenians. We have a promise to keep about healthcare, after all. Once that standard is raised, we''ll introduce cures to most of the currently ''incurable'' diseases, like certain cancers and chronic or seasonal illnesses like themon cold and flu. In the future, they''ll produce the nutrient solution required for extended stays in the VR pods we''re nning on eventually releasing,] Nova exined.


    "What''ll happen to my position as the CEO of Connect? I can''t imagine having Sarah under me in the chain ofmand..." he nced at the person sitting next to Nova, "let alone Aron!" he nervouslyughed.


    "Each of you can choose to be the president of any of thepanies we''ll have under Connect Enterprises," Aron said. He wanted to keep his friends around him more than he needed their expertise anymore, since he could be made an expert in any field at a moment''s notice. Perhaps he had needed their help at one point, but currently he kept them around out of sentimentality and for the same reason Roman emperors andmanders kept aurigae ves.


    (Ed note: an auriga was the ve who, historians believe, would whisper "memento mori" into the ears of powerful Roman authorities (such as the emperor, senators, legates, and even diatorial champions) to remind them that they weren''t perfect and were only human.)


    "I''ve always been interested in building things. Remember my LEGO collection?" Felix chuckled. "So I guess I''ll take Hephaestus."


    "I''ll stick with GAIA," Sarah said. "How about the stock market? Shouldn''t we create an exchange to facilitate the buying and selling of shares in the country? That would give us quite a bit of power over thepanies here." Sarah recalled the profit that the NYSE and Nasdaq were raking in. Many people even thought of them as government entities, despite them being privately ownedpanies.


    "We''re still waiting for the government to implement regtions in terms of securities exchange before we can consider entering that market," Aron said. "Once they do, we can cooperate with the Rothschilds, which will give us an immediate legitimacy in the field. There''s also the banking issue... but basically, at the moment, it all boils down to one thing: Eden is simply too poor right now to make the securities exchange business viable."


    Felix raised his hand and asked, "So who''s going to head up the rest of thepanies? Sarah''s keeping GAIA, and I''m taking over Hephaestus, so... I hope you aren''t nning on us being the presidents of EVERYTHING." He was a little bit worried and wondering if there would be enough hours in the day for all the work he would have to do if that were the case.


    Aron just gave him a slightly evil smirk.


    "...right?" Felix nervously snickered.


    "You''re right," Aronughed, amused by his nervous friend''s expression.


    Felix heaved a sigh of relief and shot an annoyed nce that implied payback at his friend.


    "Who''ll be running them then?" Sarah asked, curious at what Aron woulde up with. She was sure that the people who would be chosen as presidents of the newpanies would need to be made aware of the VR world and have their own set of sses, at least, to facilitate the smooth operation of the newpanies. There was no other way to effectively interface with the AIs, after all.


    "You know about personality adjustments, right?" Aron asked, despite knowing that they knew. He was priming them for the next bit of information.


    When they nodded, he continued, "After hundreds of thousands of personality reformations performed on our soldiers, in order to make them more effective but also prevent them from revealing the existence of VR, we discovered that we could entirely change a person''s personality if we wanted. Furthermore, we can imnt an AI of our own design into them, essentially recing the person they once were," Aron said. Sarah and Felix felt a slight chill run down their spines at the idea, having heard it for the first time since he hadn''t told them about the d?m?r incident.


    "So a thought urred to me... why don''t we use that tech to hijack the bodies of deserving criminals? We''d technically be ''rehabilitating'' them and turning them into productive members of society, that way. Plus, we''d be filling high-level holes in our human resources department, making it a two birds one stone kind of deal."


    Aron had just dropped a massive nuclear info bomb on his friends, and though he looked confident on the outside, he nervously awaited their responses.