Portfolio: Ascension Astro

This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 5.5.
“Only available on Earth and Terra. That’s the type of exclusivity we want,” claimed Candace Cowley in a controversial 2903 interview with the Terra Gazette. Cowley, who goes by CC, was the public face of Ascension Astro, a boutique component manufacturer that found its start catering to the ultra-wealthy. During the interview, CC proclaimed that the company preferred to sell their stealth components solely to an elite clientele, who could then safely travel throughout the Empire without fear of being targeted by outlaws or other ‘ruffians.’ She also bragged about how their two storefront locations, one in New York and the other in Prime, were invitation-only establishments with a waiting list months long. To some, CC embodied the glamorous and outrageous lifestyle they wanted to live; to others she epitomized everything wrong with the UEE. Few knew that CC — herself synonymous with Ascension Astro — was but one of the three founders who catapulted the company from obscurity to one of the UEE’s most exclusive in just a few years.

Something from Nothing
Ascension Astro was founded in 2901 by CC, Kaitlyn Barwick, and Tim Kraft. CC and Barwick had grown up together. Barwick’s father owned a small repair shop in Shanghai and found four-year-old CC abandoned at a local transit stop. Similar in age but drastically different in personalities, the two still became fast friends. As adults, Barwick married Kraft and took over her father’s repair shop, while CC got a job as a customer service rep at an Origin Jumpworks dealership. Thanks to her persistence, charm and fervent philosophy of only targeting rich customers, she quickly amassed a lengthy roster of highclass clientele.

Then the Origin dealership fired CC for referring clients to Barwick and Kraft’s struggling repair shop. CC argued that her intentions were nothing but honorable and within the best interests of Origin’s clients, as the services she was recommending were not available at the dealership. Notorious tinkerers, Barwick and Kraft had devised a way to dramatically reduce the IR and EM signature of the thrusters that came standard in Origin ships. With these high-end ships often being targeted by outlaws and (even worse) paparazzi, reducing their signature was an invaluable aid in being able to cruise about unmolested. Barwick and Kraft’s intricate process was effective, yet the price point for the time-consuming procedure put what was essentially custom-built thrusters out of range for all but the wealthiest customers.

Following CC’s dismissal, Origin attempted to retroengineer the work done by Barwick and Kraft, but couldn’t quite crack their complicated process. When CC heard what her former employers were up to, she took a drastic step and filed a lawsuit against them. Although the courts eventually tossed out the case, the episode became a publicity nightmare for the company, so they attempted to backpedal and offered to hire the duo as consultants. Barwick asked if CC could get her old job back, but Origin refused. Loyal to their longtime friend, Barwick and Kraft turned down the offer. In the midst of all of this, CC had a realization. If Origin was interested in Barwick and Kraft’s work, then it must be valuable.

Backdoor Pitch
Even though CC built relationships with many wealthy people while at Origin, she knew approaching them out of the blue with a business proposal would probably fail. Instead, she contacted her former clients to notify them of what she described as her already immensely successful venture. The “ultra exclusive” mobile modification and repair service would send Barwick and Kraft directly to a client’s hangar to perform the complicated work on their ship’s thrusters. Since the process only worked on certain thrusters, CC had to deftly confirm the person still flew a ship with the appropriate thrusters in it.

CC initially offered drastic discounts to entice these wealthy clients into hiring them. Of course this scheme lost money, as the parts and labor involved far exceeded the price tag, but once in the door, CC worked her magic. She painted the picture of a business so busy she was forced to turn down new clients every day, then adroitly transitioned the discussion to how what they were doing was small potatoes compared to what it could be if only they had the capital to make their own stealth components.

CC’s masterful backdoor pitch worked. Several clients became intrigued and invested in the operation. Ascension Astro incorporated in 2901 and a small number of their stealth components, designed by Barwick and Kraft, rolled off a Moscow production line later that year. Some investors were irate over how few components were produced, and to make matters worse, CC gave away a few of those scarce components to a select group of new contacts while spending significant company credits to build a fancy showroom hidden down a dingy alley in New York City. The location had no official Ascension Astro sign, only a comm channel to be used to set up appointments. For the first three months, anyone who contacted them was instructed to check back later since they had no available appointments.

But the stealth marketing campaign was a success. The few who were gifted components happened to be the most braggadocious people CC knew. Other elites, not used to being denied what they wanted when they wanted it, flooded the comm channel with appointment requests. When Ascension Astro actually sold a few components, they did so at exorbitantly high prices, and sold out immediately. As the next run was manufactured, the company again claimed that they had no available appointments and refused to take preorders. When the second run was ready, the components were sold at an even higher price.

Going Nova
Of course, CC’s shrewd marketing ploy could only work more than once if the product was good. Fortunately, Barwick and Kraft were as skilled in their way as CC was in hers; the components were as outstanding as CC claimed them to be. The couple avoided any high-level discussions about the company, preferring to spend time perfecting their designs and tinkering, and leaving targeted sales techniques and networking opportunities in CC’s hands.

Meanwhile, CC continued to hone Ascension Astro’s public image. She refused to do any traditional advertising, arguing that it would tarnish their reputation by making them like any other brand. Instead, she bribed gossip columnists to report on her partying at trendy establishments with their elite clientele. CC did what she needed to ensure “Ascension Astro” made the column’s copy.

Privately, Barwick and Kraft worried about CC’s increasing obsession with her new lifestyle, but couldn’t argue with the results. Their stealth power plants were named by multiple publications as “The Must-Have Ship Component of 2903.” That same year Ascension Astro opened a second storefront in Terra, just as low-profile as their New York showroom, and CC gave that now infamous interview to the Terra Gazette. CC had suddenly become a celebrity CEO; beloved by some and loathed by others … until the following year, when she vanished from the public eye.

Expansion & Maturation
At first some assumed CC’s disappearing act was another clever marketing ploy. Then a few publications began to ask what had happened to her when her absence became months long. Meanwhile, industry insiders realized that Ascension Astro had begun to adopt more traditional practices. They opened more locations and eliminated the need to schedule an appointment to visit the store. They also significantly expanded their production capacity, and ran actual advertisements for their components. Their initial marketing campaign was shockingly bland, though it winked at the reputation CC had established. It featured a generically wealthy family comfortably enjoying a journey aboard their 890 Jump under the company’s still-used tag line “Enjoy the Journey.”

Whenever questioned about CC, Ascension Astro representatives simply asserted that she was still involved with the company. Most industry experts assumed that she had been ousted from power. That misconception was cleared up in 2908 when CC returned to the public eye to promote her memoir, Something from Nothing. Although the book chronicled her search to find the parents that abandoned her at that Shanghai hub, she also went into great detail about her part in the rise of Ascension Astro, and how a growing dependence on drugs and alcohol, combined with crippling bouts of depression, ultimately forced her to reduce her role in the company. She praised Barwick and Kraft for their stewardship of Ascension Astro, and after revealing that she had failed to locate her birth parents, declared that they were the only family she needed.

Today, CC maintains a position on the company masthead, but spends much of her time overseeing charities she’s established to help orphans across the UEE. In the absence of her unconventional marketing and sales methods, Barwick and Kraft transitioned to a more traditional business model and expanded the company’s suite of stealth components. They now encourage the purchase of a complete complement of upgrades to ensure better security while flying, driving home the point to their wealthy target audience that a stealth component can only do so much to conceal a ship’s signature if other systems are running hot. Ascension Astro continues to thrive under their steady hands.

Dieses Portfolio erschien ursprünglich in Jump Point 5.5.
"Nur auf der Erde und auf Terra verfügbar. Das ist die Art von Exklusivität, die wir wollen", sagte Candace Cowley in einem umstrittenen 2903er Interview mit der Terra Gazette. Cowley, der nach CC geht, war das öffentliche Gesicht von Ascension Astro, einem Hersteller von Boutique-Komponenten, der seinen Anfang im Catering für die besonders Wohlhabenden fand. Während des Interviews verkündete CC, dass das Unternehmen es vorzieht, seine Tarnkomponenten ausschließlich an eine elitäre Kundschaft zu verkaufen, die dann sicher durch das ganze Reich reisen kann, ohne Angst davor zu haben, von Gesetzlosen oder anderen "Raufbolden" angegriffen zu werden. Sie prahlte auch damit, dass ihre beiden Schaufensterstandorte, einer in New York und der andere in Prime, nur für Eingeladene mit einer Warteliste von Monaten Dauer waren. Für einige verkörpert CC den glamourösen und unverschämten Lebensstil, den sie leben wollten; für andere verkörpert sie alles, was mit der UEE nicht stimmt. Nur wenige wussten, dass CC - selbst das Synonym für Ascension Astro - nur einer der drei Gründer war, die das Unternehmen in nur wenigen Jahren von der Dunkelheit zu einem der exklusivsten der UEE katapultierten.

Etwas aus dem Nichts
Ascension Astro wurde 2901 von CC, Kaitlyn Barwick und Tim Kraft gegründet. CC und Barwick waren zusammen aufgewachsen. Barwicks Vater besaß eine kleine Werkstatt in Shanghai und fand den vierjährigen CC, der an einem lokalen Transitbahnhof ausgesetzt war. Ähnlich im Alter, aber drastisch unterschiedlich in der Persönlichkeit, wurden die beiden immer noch zu schnellen Freunden. Als Erwachsene heiratete Barwick Kraft und übernahm die Werkstatt ihres Vaters, während CC einen Job als Kundendienstmitarbeiter bei einem Origin Jumpworks Händler bekam. Dank ihrer Hartnäckigkeit, ihrem Charme und ihrer leidenschaftlichen Philosophie, nur auf reiche Kunden zuzugehen, konnte sie sich schnell einen langen Bestand an erstklassigen Kunden aufbauen.

Dann feuerte der Origin-Händler CC, weil er Kunden an Barwick und Kraft's kranke Werkstatt verwiesen hatte. CC argumentierte, dass ihre Absichten nichts anderes als ehrenhaft und im besten Interesse der Kunden von Origin seien, da die von ihr empfohlenen Dienstleistungen im Autohaus nicht verfügbar seien. Berüchtigte Bastler, Barwick und Kraft hatten eine Möglichkeit entwickelt, die IR- und EM-Signatur der Triebwerke, die standardmäßig in Origin-Schiffen verwendet wurden, drastisch zu reduzieren. Da diese High-End-Schiffe oft von Gesetzlosen und (noch schlimmer) Paparazzi ins Visier genommen wurden, war die Reduzierung ihrer Unterschrift eine unschätzbare Hilfe, um unbehelligt herumfahren zu können. Barwick und Kraft's komplizierter Prozess war effektiv, aber der Preispunkt für das zeitaufwändige Verfahren brachte die im Wesentlichen maßgeschneiderten Triebwerke außer Reichweite für alle außer den wohlhabendsten Kunden.

Nach der Entlassung von CC versuchte Origin, die Arbeit von Barwick und Kraft zu rekonstruieren, konnte aber den komplizierten Prozess nicht ganz lösen. Als CC hörte, was ihre ehemaligen Arbeitgeber vorhatten, machte sie einen drastischen Schritt und reichte eine Klage gegen sie ein. Obwohl die Gerichte den Fall schließlich verworfen haben, wurde die Episode zu einem Werbealptraum für das Unternehmen, so dass sie versuchten, zurückzutreten und boten an, das Duo als Berater einzustellen. Barwick fragte, ob CC ihren alten Job zurückbekommen könnte, aber Origin weigerte sich. Loyal gegenüber ihrem langjährigen Freund Barwick und Kraft lehnten sie das Angebot ab. Inmitten all dessen hatte CC eine Erkenntnis. Wenn Origin sich für Barwick und Kraft's Werk interessierte, dann muss es wertvoll sein.

Hintertür Stellplatz
Obwohl CC während seiner Zeit bei Origin Beziehungen zu vielen wohlhabenden Menschen aufbaute, wusste sie, dass es wahrscheinlich scheitern würde, sie mit einem Geschäftsvorschlag aus heiterem Himmel anzusprechen. Stattdessen kontaktierte sie ihre ehemaligen Kunden, um sie über das zu informieren, was sie als ihr ohnehin schon äußerst erfolgreiches Projekt bezeichnete. Der "ultra exklusive" mobile Modifikations- und Reparaturservice würde Barwick und Kraft direkt in den Hangar eines Kunden schicken, um die komplizierten Arbeiten an den Triebwerken seines Schiffes durchzuführen. Da der Prozess nur bei bestimmten Triebwerken funktionierte, musste CC geschickt bestätigen, dass die Person noch ein Schiff mit den entsprechenden Triebwerken geflogen ist.

CC bot zunächst drastische Rabatte an, um diese wohlhabenden Kunden dazu zu bringen, sie einzustellen. Natürlich verlor dieses System Geld, da die beteiligten Teile und Arbeitskräfte den Preis weit überstiegen, aber sobald sie an der Tür waren, wirkte CC wie ein Zauberer. Sie malte das Bild eines so geschäftigen Unternehmens, dass sie jeden Tag gezwungen war, neue Kunden abzulehnen, und dann überführte sie die Diskussion geschickt in die Frage, wie das, was sie taten, kleine Kartoffeln waren, verglichen mit dem, was es sein könnte, wenn sie nur das Kapital hätten, ihre eigenen Tarnkomponenten herzustellen.

CCs meisterhafter Hintertür-Pitch funktionierte. Mehrere Kunden wurden fasziniert und investierten in den Betrieb. Ascension Astro wurde 2901 gegründet, und eine kleine Anzahl ihrer Tarnkomponenten, entworfen von Barwick und Kraft, rollten später in diesem Jahr von einer Moskauer Produktionslinie. Einige Investoren waren wütend darüber, wie wenig Komponenten produziert wurden, und um es noch schlimmer zu machen, verschenkte CC ein paar dieser knappen Komponenten an eine ausgewählte Gruppe neuer Kontakte, während sie bedeutende Firmenkredite ausgaben, um einen ausgefallenen Showroom zu bauen, der in einer schmutzigen Gasse in New York City versteckt war. Der Standort hatte kein offizielles Ascension Astro Zeichen, sondern nur einen Kommunikationskanal, der zur Terminvereinbarung verwendet werden sollte. In den ersten drei Monaten wurde jeder, der sich mit ihnen in Verbindung setzte, angewiesen, später wieder vorbeizuschauen, da er keine freien Termine hatte.

Aber die Stealth-Marketing-Kampagne war ein Erfolg. Die wenigen, die begabte Komponenten waren, waren zufällig die prahlerischsten Menschen, die CC kannte. Andere Eliten, die es nicht gewohnt waren, das zu verweigern, was sie wollten, wenn sie es wollten, überfluteten den Kommunikationskanal mit Terminanfragen. Als Ascension Astro tatsächlich ein paar Komponenten verkaufte, taten sie dies zu exorbitant hohen Preisen und waren sofort ausverkauft. Als der nächste Durchlauf hergestellt wurde, behauptete das Unternehmen erneut, dass es keine freien Termine habe und weigerte sich, Vorbestellungen anzunehmen. Als der zweite Lauf fertig war, wurden die Komponenten zu einem noch höheren Preis verkauft.

Going Nova
Natürlich konnte der clevere Marketing-Trick von CC nur mehr als einmal funktionieren, wenn das Produkt gut war. Glücklicherweise waren Barwick und Kraft auf ihre Art und Weise so geschickt wie CC in ihrem; die Komponenten waren so hervorragend, wie CC sie vorgab zu sein. Das Paar vermied alle Diskussionen auf hoher Ebene über das Unternehmen, zog es vor, Zeit damit zu verbringen, ihr Design zu perfektionieren und zu basteln, und überließ CC gezielte Verkaufstechniken und Netzwerkmöglichkeiten.

In der Zwischenzeit verfeinerte CC weiterhin das öffentliche Image von Ascension Astro. Sie weigerte sich, traditionelle Werbung zu machen, und argumentierte, dass dies ihren Ruf schädigen würde, indem sie sie wie jede andere Marke machen würde. Stattdessen bestach sie Klatschkolumnisten, um über ihre Party in trendigen Lokalen mit ihrer elitären Kundschaft zu berichten. CC tat, was sie brauchte, um sicherzustellen, dass "Ascension Astro" die Kopie der Kolumne machte.

Privat machten sich Barwick und Kraft Sorgen um CCs zunehmende Besessenheit von ihrem neuen Lebensstil, konnten aber nicht mit den Ergebnissen argumentieren. Ihre Tarnkraftwerke wurden in mehreren Publikationen als "The Must-Have Ship Component of 2903" bezeichnet. Im selben Jahr eröffnete Ascension Astro eine zweite Schaufensterfront in Terra, genauso unauffällig wie ihr New Yorker Showroom, und CC gab der Terra Gazette dieses inzwischen berüchtigte Interview. CC war plötzlich ein prominenter CEO geworden; geliebt von einigen und verabscheut von anderen.... bis im folgenden Jahr, als sie aus der Öffentlichkeit verschwand.

Expansion & Reifung
Zuerst nahmen einige an, dass CCs verschwindender Akt ein weiterer cleverer Marketing-Trick war. Dann begannen einige Veröffentlichungen zu fragen, was mit ihr geschehen war, als ihre Abwesenheit monatelang wurde. In der Zwischenzeit erkannten Brancheninsider, dass Ascension Astro begonnen hatte, traditionellere Praktiken anzuwenden. Sie eröffneten weitere Standorte und machten es überflüssig, einen Termin für den Besuch des Ladens zu vereinbaren. Außerdem bauten sie ihre Produktionskapazitäten deutlich aus und ließen aktuelle Anzeigen für ihre Komponenten schalten. Ihre erste Marketingkampagne war schockierend fadenscheinig, obwohl sie dem Ruf, den CC aufgebaut hatte, mit einem Augenzwinkern folgte. Eine allgemein wohlhabende Familie genoss eine Reise an Bord ihrer 890 Jump unter dem immer noch verwendeten Slogan "Enjoy the Journey".

Wann immer sie nach CC gefragt wurden, behaupteten die Vertreter von Ascension Astro einfach, dass sie immer noch in das Unternehmen involviert sei. Die meisten Branchenexperten gingen davon aus, dass sie von der Macht verdrängt worden war. Dieses Missverständnis wurde 2908 aufgeklärt, als CC zum öffentlichen Blick zurückkehrte, um ihre Memoiren Something from Nothing zu promoten. Obwohl das Buch ihre Suche nach den Eltern aufzeichnete, die sie an diesem Knotenpunkt in Shanghai verlassen hatten, ging sie auch sehr detailliert auf ihre Rolle im Aufstieg von Ascension Astro ein, und wie eine wachsende Abhängigkeit von Drogen und Alkohol, kombiniert mit lähmenden Depressionen, sie schließlich zwang, ihre Rolle im Unternehmen zu reduzieren. Sie lobte Barwick und Kraft für ihre Verantwortung für Ascension Astro, und nachdem sie enthüllt hatte, dass sie es versäumt hatte, ihre leiblichen Eltern zu finden, erklärte sie, dass sie die einzige Familie seien, die sie brauche.

Heute hält CC eine Position im Impressum des Unternehmens, verbringt aber einen Großteil ihrer Zeit damit, Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen zu beaufsichtigen, die sie gegründet hat, um Waisenkindern in der gesamten UEE zu helfen. In Ermangelung ihrer unkonventionellen Marketing- und Verkaufsmethoden wechselten Barwick und Kraft zu einem traditionelleren Geschäftsmodell und erweiterten die Palette der Tarnkomponenten des Unternehmens. Sie ermutigen nun den Kauf einer kompletten Reihe von Upgrades, um eine bessere Sicherheit beim Fliegen zu gewährleisten, und verweisen auf ihre wohlhabende Zielgruppe, dass eine Stealth-Komponente nur so viel tun kann, um die Signatur eines Schiffes zu verbergen, wenn andere Systeme heiß laufen. Der Aufstieg Astro gedeiht weiterhin unter ihren ruhigen Händen.

This portfolio originally appeared in Jump Point 5.5.
“Only available on Earth and Terra. That’s the type of exclusivity we want,” claimed Candace Cowley in a controversial 2903 interview with the Terra Gazette. Cowley, who goes by CC, was the public face of Ascension Astro, a boutique component manufacturer that found its start catering to the ultra-wealthy. During the interview, CC proclaimed that the company preferred to sell their stealth components solely to an elite clientele, who could then safely travel throughout the Empire without fear of being targeted by outlaws or other ‘ruffians.’ She also bragged about how their two storefront locations, one in New York and the other in Prime, were invitation-only establishments with a waiting list months long. To some, CC embodied the glamorous and outrageous lifestyle they wanted to live; to others she epitomized everything wrong with the UEE. Few knew that CC — herself synonymous with Ascension Astro — was but one of the three founders who catapulted the company from obscurity to one of the UEE’s most exclusive in just a few years.

Something from Nothing
Ascension Astro was founded in 2901 by CC, Kaitlyn Barwick, and Tim Kraft. CC and Barwick had grown up together. Barwick’s father owned a small repair shop in Shanghai and found four-year-old CC abandoned at a local transit stop. Similar in age but drastically different in personalities, the two still became fast friends. As adults, Barwick married Kraft and took over her father’s repair shop, while CC got a job as a customer service rep at an Origin Jumpworks dealership. Thanks to her persistence, charm and fervent philosophy of only targeting rich customers, she quickly amassed a lengthy roster of highclass clientele.

Then the Origin dealership fired CC for referring clients to Barwick and Kraft’s struggling repair shop. CC argued that her intentions were nothing but honorable and within the best interests of Origin’s clients, as the services she was recommending were not available at the dealership. Notorious tinkerers, Barwick and Kraft had devised a way to dramatically reduce the IR and EM signature of the thrusters that came standard in Origin ships. With these high-end ships often being targeted by outlaws and (even worse) paparazzi, reducing their signature was an invaluable aid in being able to cruise about unmolested. Barwick and Kraft’s intricate process was effective, yet the price point for the time-consuming procedure put what was essentially custom-built thrusters out of range for all but the wealthiest customers.

Following CC’s dismissal, Origin attempted to retroengineer the work done by Barwick and Kraft, but couldn’t quite crack their complicated process. When CC heard what her former employers were up to, she took a drastic step and filed a lawsuit against them. Although the courts eventually tossed out the case, the episode became a publicity nightmare for the company, so they attempted to backpedal and offered to hire the duo as consultants. Barwick asked if CC could get her old job back, but Origin refused. Loyal to their longtime friend, Barwick and Kraft turned down the offer. In the midst of all of this, CC had a realization. If Origin was interested in Barwick and Kraft’s work, then it must be valuable.

Backdoor Pitch
Even though CC built relationships with many wealthy people while at Origin, she knew approaching them out of the blue with a business proposal would probably fail. Instead, she contacted her former clients to notify them of what she described as her already immensely successful venture. The “ultra exclusive” mobile modification and repair service would send Barwick and Kraft directly to a client’s hangar to perform the complicated work on their ship’s thrusters. Since the process only worked on certain thrusters, CC had to deftly confirm the person still flew a ship with the appropriate thrusters in it.

CC initially offered drastic discounts to entice these wealthy clients into hiring them. Of course this scheme lost money, as the parts and labor involved far exceeded the price tag, but once in the door, CC worked her magic. She painted the picture of a business so busy she was forced to turn down new clients every day, then adroitly transitioned the discussion to how what they were doing was small potatoes compared to what it could be if only they had the capital to make their own stealth components.

CC’s masterful backdoor pitch worked. Several clients became intrigued and invested in the operation. Ascension Astro incorporated in 2901 and a small number of their stealth components, designed by Barwick and Kraft, rolled off a Moscow production line later that year. Some investors were irate over how few components were produced, and to make matters worse, CC gave away a few of those scarce components to a select group of new contacts while spending significant company credits to build a fancy showroom hidden down a dingy alley in New York City. The location had no official Ascension Astro sign, only a comm channel to be used to set up appointments. For the first three months, anyone who contacted them was instructed to check back later since they had no available appointments.

But the stealth marketing campaign was a success. The few who were gifted components happened to be the most braggadocious people CC knew. Other elites, not used to being denied what they wanted when they wanted it, flooded the comm channel with appointment requests. When Ascension Astro actually sold a few components, they did so at exorbitantly high prices, and sold out immediately. As the next run was manufactured, the company again claimed that they had no available appointments and refused to take preorders. When the second run was ready, the components were sold at an even higher price.

Going Nova
Of course, CC’s shrewd marketing ploy could only work more than once if the product was good. Fortunately, Barwick and Kraft were as skilled in their way as CC was in hers; the components were as outstanding as CC claimed them to be. The couple avoided any high-level discussions about the company, preferring to spend time perfecting their designs and tinkering, and leaving targeted sales techniques and networking opportunities in CC’s hands.

Meanwhile, CC continued to hone Ascension Astro’s public image. She refused to do any traditional advertising, arguing that it would tarnish their reputation by making them like any other brand. Instead, she bribed gossip columnists to report on her partying at trendy establishments with their elite clientele. CC did what she needed to ensure “Ascension Astro” made the column’s copy.

Privately, Barwick and Kraft worried about CC’s increasing obsession with her new lifestyle, but couldn’t argue with the results. Their stealth power plants were named by multiple publications as “The Must-Have Ship Component of 2903.” That same year Ascension Astro opened a second storefront in Terra, just as low-profile as their New York showroom, and CC gave that now infamous interview to the Terra Gazette. CC had suddenly become a celebrity CEO; beloved by some and loathed by others … until the following year, when she vanished from the public eye.

Expansion & Maturation
At first some assumed CC’s disappearing act was another clever marketing ploy. Then a few publications began to ask what had happened to her when her absence became months long. Meanwhile, industry insiders realized that Ascension Astro had begun to adopt more traditional practices. They opened more locations and eliminated the need to schedule an appointment to visit the store. They also significantly expanded their production capacity, and ran actual advertisements for their components. Their initial marketing campaign was shockingly bland, though it winked at the reputation CC had established. It featured a generically wealthy family comfortably enjoying a journey aboard their 890 Jump under the company’s still-used tag line “Enjoy the Journey.”

Whenever questioned about CC, Ascension Astro representatives simply asserted that she was still involved with the company. Most industry experts assumed that she had been ousted from power. That misconception was cleared up in 2908 when CC returned to the public eye to promote her memoir, Something from Nothing. Although the book chronicled her search to find the parents that abandoned her at that Shanghai hub, she also went into great detail about her part in the rise of Ascension Astro, and how a growing dependence on drugs and alcohol, combined with crippling bouts of depression, ultimately forced her to reduce her role in the company. She praised Barwick and Kraft for their stewardship of Ascension Astro, and after revealing that she had failed to locate her birth parents, declared that they were the only family she needed.

Today, CC maintains a position on the company masthead, but spends much of her time overseeing charities she’s established to help orphans across the UEE. In the absence of her unconventional marketing and sales methods, Barwick and Kraft transitioned to a more traditional business model and expanded the company’s suite of stealth components. They now encourage the purchase of a complete complement of upgrades to ensure better security while flying, driving home the point to their wealthy target audience that a stealth component can only do so much to conceal a ship’s signature if other systems are running hot. Ascension Astro continues to thrive under their steady hands.