The porous rocks clinked in the empty glass as it touched down on the ebony desk. Rings of condensation marred the maelstrom of reports, accented by violent red circles. Apok released a long plume of smoke while leaning back in his chair, reaching for another bottle. The trickle of amber-gold fluid filling the glass helped ease the relentless pounding in his head.

Taking another sip, he reached for his cigar. He ignored the flashing notices of his overview, alerts signifying bills coming due or contracts needing assignment. He pinged his implants to pull up the corporation wallet balances and instructed the overview to reconcile the recent bounty taxes against costs and expenses. He referenced the time as he penned a few more numbers on the weekly cash flow.

You have a meeting scheduled on your calendar. – the melodic voice of his overview chimed. You are currently twenty minutes late for this meeting. Would you like me to reschedule?

“Nope. I’ll be right there.” Apok smiled.