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It is Venice in the 1890s. The mercantile markets are in disarray: there are brigands on the Silk Road, pirates around the Barbary Coast, and the arrival of venal bankers from the New World is threatening the profitability of the Venetian families. | It is Venice in the 1890s. The mercantile markets are in disarray: there are brigands on the Silk Road, pirates around the Barbary Coast, and the arrival of venal bankers from the New World is threatening the profitability of the Venetian families. | ||
[[Provocatoria Presuntuosa|Provocatoria]], a minor Venetian noble and head of the Presuntuosa family, summons a council of her closest advisors to plan the firm’s survival | [[Provocatoria Presuntuosa|Provocatoria]], a minor Venetian noble and head of the Presuntuosa family, summons a council of her closest advisors to plan the firm’s survival. | ||
“Our supply of gold ducats, once the envy of the world, is dwindling. I shall hand it over to those of you who can demonstrate their strategy for adapting to the new environment.” | |||
{{dkt division of funds}} | The Queen’s inner circle comprises: [[Complicatio]], who is responsible for [[Operations|workings of the firm]]; [[Ingraziatoro]], who looks after the firm’s best [[senior relationship manager|clients]], [[Regolamento]], who is in charge of compliance, and the hapless [[Triago]], who is [[general counsel]]. Also present is [[Jeremiah Nuncle|Nuncle]], the Queen’s diminutive special advisor. | ||
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{{dkt division of funds}}}} | |||
[[Ingraziatoro]], who speaks in [[buzzword]]s, complains that with insufficient quality salespeople to build the franchise bands of roving mercenaries are picking off the firm’s most lucrative trade routes and diverting traditional riches to the Americans. There is but one thing for it: we must pay these roving mercenaries to bring the trade back to our firm! | |||
Complicatio immediately announces a programme to relocate the firm’s operations to [[Proverbial school-leaver from Bucharest|Bucharest]], to outsource those than cannot be transplanted to [[Don Inago Montega]], a local [[celery peddler]] who supplies cheap labour under water-tight [[service level agreement]] | {{script|Ingraziatoro}}: Whereupon, going forward, in deliv’rance of client excellence <br> | ||
Our solutions can and shall and must and will <br> | |||
Across the piece and on, or off, the piste be [[best in class]] <br> | |||
{{Script|Nuncle}}: Ma’am I do believe he’s piste! <br> | |||
{{Script|Triago}} (''Aside''): At the very least, an arse. <br> | |||
{{Script|Ingraziatoro}}:Our multi-touchpoints declare a seamless urge <br> | |||
Relentlessly to drive high-class returns <br> | |||
Across our sacred franchise, and [[net net]], <br> | |||
This the [[delta]] b’twixt ourselves <br> | |||
And those who would intrude upon our mark’t share. <br> | |||
That our qualities are deep: They do not care. <br> | |||
They pair hot ambition and a lofty sweep <br> | |||
Across the product landscapes to they creep. <br> | |||
For this, milady — this the crunch: <br> | |||
Spare no investment, lest they eat our lunch. <br> | |||
{{Script|Provocatoria}}: What doth he say? <br> | |||
{{Scrtipt|Nuncle}}: He wants more money or he’ll walk away. <br> | |||
Complicatio immediately announces a programme to relocate the firm’s operations to [[Proverbial school-leaver from Bucharest|Bucharest]], to outsource those than cannot be transplanted to [[Don Inago Montega]], a local [[celery peddler]] who supplies cheap labour under water-tight [[service level agreement]]s. This, he assures the Queen, will instantly save thousands of ducats. The Queen claps excitedly. [[Jeremiah Nuncle|Nuncle]] makes cynical asides throughout, but the Queen pays them no attention. | |||
Regolamenti has acquired a “homunculus” machine to surveil and ensure compliance with rules and procedures at a fraction of the cost, and with far greater speed and accuracy than humans can do. <ref>There are many aspects of the plot that, in passing, borrow from {{Buchstein}}’s other works, notably ''[[La Vittoria della Forma sulla Sostanza]]'', which featured a similar “Homunculus”.</ref> | Regolamenti has acquired a “homunculus” machine to surveil and ensure compliance with rules and procedures at a fraction of the cost, and with far greater speed and accuracy than humans can do. <ref>There are many aspects of the plot that, in passing, borrow from {{Buchstein}}’s other works, notably ''[[La Vittoria della Forma sulla Sostanza]]'', which featured a similar “Homunculus”.</ref> | ||
==== Act II ==== | ==== Act II ==== | ||
No sooner has Ingraziatore wasted all the firm’s resources on useless investment bankers, he returns to | No sooner has Ingraziatore wasted all the firm’s resources on useless investment bankers, he returns to {{Provo}}. | ||
{{Script|Ingraziatoro}}: Good Queen we are beset around by | |||
Difficulties of others’ making. our staff are furious. These new fancy-pants are lording their great riches over everyone, but they have not brought in any new business. In fact they are making it hard for us to keep the business we already have. and now our own loyal staff are leaving. We must therefore raise their salaries to match the new mercenaries!” | |||
“We must what?” | |||
{{Script|Ingraziatoro}}: We must compete! This daily war for talent is intense! | |||
The necessary investment is immense. | |||
{{Script|Nuncle}}: Cometh down the man, cometh down the hour? | |||
Cameth I down in the latest shower? | |||
===Highlights=== | ===Highlights=== | ||
Most famous rousing aria, accompanied by the string section playing “piccolini” — literally, “tiny violins”; shortened violin-type instruments specially-designed by {{buchstein}} for this opera<ref>An idea later taken up by, among others, Wagner, who invented his own “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_tuba Wagner Tuba]” for the Ring.</ref> — comes when Prepostero, senior managing partner of [[magic circle law firm|Magic Circle]] firm ''Slaughter Cowards Later'' stands upon a white cliff overlooking jagged rocks of the tempestuous ocean between Albion and the New World, shaking his fists and wailing into the chasm: | Most famous rousing aria, accompanied by the string section playing “piccolini” — literally, “tiny violins”; shortened violin-type instruments specially-designed by {{buchstein}} for this opera<ref>An idea later taken up by, among others, Wagner, who invented his own “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_tuba Wagner Tuba]” for the Ring.</ref> — comes when Prepostero, senior managing partner of [[magic circle law firm|Magic Circle]] firm ''Slaughter Cowards Later'' stands upon a white cliff overlooking jagged rocks of the tempestuous ocean between Albion and the New World, shaking his fists and wailing into the chasm: | ||