A DeRegger CEO's ship went down. Most of the crew survived, but few were without injury. The CEO and his sons were unhurt.
Shockingly, despite how poorly the people were treated aboard ship, as literally unseen servants, the CEO and his sons began to take care of the injured to avoid infections and help pain. Why? They actually DID appreciate the work, they.. just were not good at showing it. -- Anon Guest
Of course the executive suite survived, all occupants relatively unscathed. It was in the corporate's best interest to be certain the important people would make it. The unimportant people - better known as everyone else - were replacable and therefore expendable, according to what passed for regulations within their polity.
That is, until the ship made a "cheese grater" landing across half a continent of an unsettled world, far from communications and help. That was when the unimportant people suddenly became very important indeed.
CEO's didn't know how to cook, they could only hunt with help, and generally claimed a proficiency with golf. Not the best life skill when trapped on a planet with little if anything to spare.
Rich Powell, son and heir of Whit Powell and future CEO of Power-Fell Industries, scrambled out of the executive suite, seeking survivors. Following him was his younger brother Arn, who had at least grabbed a medkit on his way out. Their dad, Whit, was less agile than they, and struggled along the rough terrain.
They didn't know how to do much, but they tried anyway. They learned quickly, and listened to the advice from those who could speak. Digging survivors out of the wreckage and doing what they could for the injuries.
There was a shanty-shelter with improvised bedding for the wounded. Most of which was cushions and mattresses pulled out of the executive suite. There was a fire, and a confused jumble of any and all cooking implements they could find, and collections of what they believed to be foodstuffs before preparation.
That was the first day.
The Powells had a lot to learn. How to wash things. How to make a better shelter. How to cook. How to use the omniscanner and how to read the results. How to treat and dress wounds. How to lay traps. How to prepare the wild plants and creatures they could safely gather.
What surprised the surviving crew was how well their executives listened to them. How they asked questions with automatic apologies for their ignorance. How they explained what they meant when asked to. How they left their egos far behind them in this situation.
Then again, they hadn't ever been typical Deregger CEO's. They were never rude or dismissive to their staff beyond the stock phrase, "I leave the details up to you." Because Deregger CEO's only cared for two things - profits and results.
Now there was nobody who could manage the details, they cared about them. Because the result was to get home in one piece.
[Photo by Simon Joseph on Unsplash]
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