Page 40 of Pets in Space 10

Her snarky wit often amused him. Her words were rarely mean and usually well-timed.

They’d worked together on several projects, and he’d copied some of the efficient department operations procedures she’d implemented, but their respective staffs interacted more often than he and Amalena did.

Part of that distance was on purpose to maintain clear separation of duties for peer reviews, but part was probably his fault.

Networking seemed to come to her as naturally as breathing.

He often had to coach himself to get out of his own head.

But even if he had made more of an effort to get to know her better, they still would probably only be colleagues. He had no idea how to change that… and no idea why his thoughts were running in that direction. Time and place, he reminded himself.

“Alright,” announced Dequer, “this is the official record of the Customer Innovation reorganization announcement meeting. We’ll also use your comments and questions if we need to do research before answering.”

Several hands shot up. The first few questions centered around employee contracts, compensation, and duties. Bikendi, sounding like the lawyer he had been in a former career, quoted the corporate staffing policies without having to look them up.

Gaerynx wanted to ask what about his job and those of the other two managers, but before he could formulate the right words, it was Tikka’s turn to speak.

She rose fluidly from her seat in the front row. Her posture was impeccable, her expression composed, but Gaerynx, having seen her in six years of meetings, recognized the unusual rigidity of her shoulders.

“Vice President Sainik,” Tikka began, her words carrying easily in the acoustically tuned room, “while I appreciate the... boldness of your vision, the timing feels precipitous. A ten-day transition for merging three distinct departments with established workflows and client relationships seems insufficient. Could you elaborate on the specific deficiencies identified in the current structure that necessitate such rapid and disruptive change?”

Gaerynx hid a smile as he realized what she’d done.

HuMed Support was RyoGenomica’s oldest and still most profitable department.

Tikka had built it, nurtured it, and earned the loyalty of both her team and their loyal medical provider customers.

She wasn’t just asking a question in precise corporate-speak. She was drawing battle lines.

Sainik flashed a reassuring smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“An excellent point, Manager Parnumaya. This isn’t about deficiencies, it’s about synergies.

We’re unlocking potential, not fixing flaws.

The rapid timeline reflects the fluidity of the economic opportunities before us.

We need to be agile. Responsive.” He gestured vaguely at the glowing flowchart projection and its shimmering buzzwords.

Sainik’s non-answer twisted a knot in Gaerynx’s stomach.

He made himself take a deep, centered breath and let it out quietly.

Tikka kept her gaze centered on Sainik. “Agility requires resources. How will funding be determined for this new, consolidated department? Our current budgets are tailored to specific operational needs such as human medicine gaps, large animal field practices, and crop production efficiencies. Lumping them together without a clear financial strategy risks hamstringing all operations.”

President Dequer sat up straighter in her chair.

“The finance department is putting the finishing touches on the detailed projections. Adequate resources will be allocated. The Governing Board already approved the concept.” Her delivery was confident, but Gaerynx noted the slight narrowing of her eyes that indicated annoyance.

Her mention of the Governing Board reminded him of the memo a few ten-days ago that announced her temporary appointment as an acting board member while the Board Leader was on extended leave.

Definitely not a role he’d ever wanted. Although he’d been a manager for nearly four years, he still would rather be out in the field helping customers solve problems. The only thing he really wanted to manage was himself, and maybe his pet kulak, Pavrel.

He liked his staff and wanted to do well for them, but leadership had never been his ambition.

Tikka shifted her focus back to Sainik. “Who will be leading this ‘Customer Innovations’ department, and what will the reporting structure look like for the existing teams?”

That was the question Gaerynx hadn’t been bold enough to ask in a public setting. Beside him, he saw Amalena lean forward in her seat.

Sainik met Tikka’s gaze. “I want this to succeed, so I will be personally guiding the initial integration phase.” His tone seemed sincere.

“As Chief Innovation Officer, my top priority will be making the transition as effective as possible. We’ll collaboratively determine the optimal long-term structure.

As for you and managers Triplo and Kirilov” — he gave them each a nod as he named them — “your titles and compensation packages will remain unchanged during this transition period. Your expertise is invaluable and critical to the success of this company.”

Gaerynx’s initial flicker of relief was quickly swamped by suspicion.

Sainik had sidestepped the core question about the teams themselves.

Gaerynx was no minder forecaster, with an extraordinary mental talent for reliably predicting patterns from seemingly unrelated data, but he had the distinct impression Sainik and Dequer had a collection of ideas rather than an actual plan. The knot in his gut twisted tighter.

Tikka pressed on with razor-sharp politeness.

“My final question for now, Vice President. Your presentation emphasized innovation. What, specifically, will this new department be innovating? Beyond merging existing functions, what new initiatives or research directions will be the focus of this significant restructuring?”

Sainik beamed again. “That’s the beauty of it, Tikka! We’ll be identifying cross-sector opportunities. Leveraging data streams in novel ways. Creating holistic solutions for our clients across the agricultural, animal management, and human medical fields. The possibilities are endless!”

Tikka held Sainik’s gaze for a long moment, her expression unreadable, then sat back down. Sainik seemed pleased as he glanced around the room. Dequer’s posture relaxed infinitesimally, but a faint flush lingered on her cheeks.

Gaerynx hadn’t often wanted more minder talents than the one he already had, but right now, he’d like to be a sifter, able to tell when people were lying. He’d bet his talent would be pinging like a breached airlock alarm.

The pointedness of Tikka’s questions seemed to open the floodgates.

Desriyan, one of Gaerynx’s team, who was better with animals than people, raised a hand.

“Uh, Vice President Sainik? What about our existing clients? We’ve spent years building relationships with producers who have specific animal management expertise.

Will we still be their primary contacts? ”

“Absolutely.” Sainik gave the room a professional smile. “After all, our customers are number one.” He seemed to be mocking the admittedly clichéd tagline from the company’s marketing platform. Desriyan looked back at Gaerynx with an uncertain expression, then dropped his head.

Another hand went up, this one from Pharras on Amalena’s Agronomy Support team. “Will Ag Support specialists be expected to consult on human medical issues now? None of us has that background.”

“Excellent question!” Sainik’s praise nudged into gushing territory. “RyoGenomica invests in its people. If cross-training is needed for a new project, you’ll receive the best support available. We value high-performing employees, which is why all of you are here.”

Gaerynx caught himself drumming his fingers and stopped.

Sainik was trying to charm his way through legitimate concerns.

To be fair, judging from the faces he could see, it was working.

They trusted the company. He suspected hardly any of them had been through as many catastrophic reorganizations as he had.

Amalena raised her hand, then stood up when Sainik acknowledged her.

“Vice President Sainik, you mentioned streamlining processes. What happens to the established internal review protocols for evaluating promising new drug concepts generated by our respective teams? Those multi-stage reviews ensure scientific rigor and ethical considerations before concepts move to BioChem. How will those processes stay intact in the combined department?”

Her question impressed Gaerynx. It identified the problem his not-always-linear brain had been trying to articulate. Strong ethics and best practices were key to RyoGenomica’s reputation and success, and why he liked working there. Amalena took the reviews very seriously.

Sainik hesitated for a fraction of a second, his usual smooth delivery faltering. “Well, uh, efficiency is key, Amalena. We need to accelerate our innovation pipeline—”

Dequer intercepted. “RyoGenomica will, of course, continue to comply with all relevant CGC galactic and Ivyar planetary regulatory requirements regarding drug development and testing. All new internal processes will continue to align with those standards.”

It was technically an answer, but Gaerynx saw Amalena’s lips thin almost imperceptibly as she sat. She looked down at her tablet, her expression troubled.

“Any other questions? Comments? Concerns?” asked Dequer, her tone determinedly bright. “Now is the time to raise them.”

No more hands went up. The whole situation felt off to Gaerynx, but he wasn’t good with words. He needed time, or at least to be doodling, to help wrangle his thoughts.