Femi Dakarai

Femi Dakarai was the founder and Chairman of MetaDrive Inc., a hyperdrive technology research company. When Sirius Corporation began making overtures to acquire MetaDrive at the behest of The Club in 3302, MetaDrive's board of directors were secretly bribed or coerced to agree to the merger, but Dakarai remained the sole holdout and staunchly refused to give up his company. As a result, Dakarai was assassinated in September 3302, with his death publicly attributed to illness. With Dakarai gone, Sirius completed its acquisition of MetaDrive Inc. the following month.

Timeline

19 NOV 3302

• The independent audit of defunct technology company MetaDrive Inc. has now reached an end and, other than a few minor items, the acquisition of all remaining assets has been completed. One such item is the Imperial Eagle of the company's late chairman Femi Dakarai, which was owned by MetaDrive. In a strange turn of events, the ship was stolen by former MetaDrive employee Raan Corsen, who disappeared shortly after the audit began. A number of files relating to Dakarai's affairs are also believed to be missing. A junior member of the audit team reported that a series of so-called 'exodus documents' could not be located. The employee was unceremoniously removed from the audit team shortly afterwards. A spokesperson for BigSix, the auditor, provided a statement: "The audit of MetaDrive is now complete, and contrary to previous misleading reports, we have all the documentation we need. It transpires the Eagle spacecraft stolen by Raan Corsen crashed somewhere in the Alioth system while fleeing security forces. The vessel was fully insured, so BigSix is not unduly concerned by its loss."

23 SEP 3302

• Sad news from the Chi Orionis system this morning with reports that Femi Dakarai, chairman of the hyperdrive-research company MetaDrive Inc., has passed away following a short illness. Dakarai was taken ill last week after working tirelessly to secure financial backing for the company. Board members reported that he was working long hours and had been showing signs of stress for several months. An assessment of MetaDrive Inc. by an independent auditing firm appears to have been the final straw. "We should have acted sooner, but we were working extremely hard," said Rosaline Merden, company secretary. "With the company set to deliver on some very exciting technology in the coming year, it's particularly tragic. We will carry on in his memory." Board members were quick to pay their respects, and according to unofficial sources have made a generous payment to the Dakarai family on behalf of MetaDrive Inc. In related news, Raan Corsen, a junior employee of MetaDrive Inc., was recently suspended from the company after auditors detected account irregularities. Security forces in the Chi Orionis system, recently brought under the control of the Earth Defense Fleet, have asked the public to report any sightings of Corsen. MetaDrive Inc. has become something of a poster child for the depression currently affecting stock markets. Economic forecasts remain gloomy, with little prospect of improvement on the horizon.

27 AUG 3302

• Independent auditor BigSix has reported various anomalies in the accounts of MetaDrive Inc., a company based in the Chi Orionis system specialising in hyperdrive research. Reviewing the company's financial records, assessors found evidence of a series of payments to undisclosed suppliers but none of the corresponding checks and balances. "It's a big mess," said the senior auditor of BigSix. "The company is being placed in receivership. It needs a buyer, and quickly." Femi Dakarai, the chairman of MetaDrive Inc., was not available for comment. Following the news, shares in MetaDrive Inc. plummeted. But a short time later, Sirius Corp unexpectedly volunteered to prop up the company. "We've been interested in collaboration for a while," said the marketing manager of Sirius Corp's hyperdrive research division, "and were in talks over licensing MetaDrive's exciting new technology. We have no desire to see them go under."

12 AUG 3302

• According to the Galactic Finance Times, analysis of the largest corporations in the Federation and the Empire reveals evidence of a significant economic downturn in the coming years. "We're seeing poor revenue forecasts for a wide range of corporations, including big names like Sirius, Gutamaya and Core Dynamics," said a correspondent for the Galactic Finance Times. "They should be concentrating on marketing to leverage new product ranges, but instead they're diverting resources into intensive research and development. They're ignoring the traditional sales cycle, and we don't know why. It's perplexing." Shareholders have seen poor returns on their investments in recent months, with stock prices dropping across multiple sectors, although this has given others a chance to pick up stock at bargain prices. Several of the pertinent corporations were contacted by the Galactic Finance Times, but none deigned to respond. Despite the GFT's report, some commentators blame the downturn on the London Treaty, which was signed by the galaxy's three major powers in 3278 following the introduction of the frame shift drive. The treaty enforces strict tonnage limitations for capital ships, and was aimed at preventing an arms race, but in recent years it has come to be perceived as a barrier to economic development. One option for investors looking for a risky but possibly lucrative venture is a start-up called MetaDrive Inc., a small company based in the Chi Orionis system specialising in hyperdrive research. The company is reported to be seeking investment.