Those with true understanding of money realize that making money is nothing. True economics is all about protecting money. It's the duty of the Syndicate to regulate the free market and prevent atrocities that undermine the value of money. And some of the atrocities are the meddling of Reality Deviants into financial affairs! Of course, protecting money is not a lazy task. It demands aggressive financiers active in the "field" who do not just preserve investments but attack the assets of criminals and deviants. The goal is for all finance to be controlled by a body of justice and respect. (Yes, Taylor recognizes that the Syndicate scarcely embodies justice right now, but that can be changed!)
Respect is the currency of currency. If the currency of society is not respected, it is meaningless. And without value, there is only chaos. Money is the accepted currency of society today, but only humanity really respects it. Reality Deviants do not respect money so much. A good Financier attacks the values of the Syndicate's enemies, and if those values don't include money, the Financier attacks what is valued. Universally for Reality Deviants that means Primal Energy. Primal Energy may be the remaining primordial matter left over from the Big Bang, it may be a strange source of fuel leaking into this world from dimensional cracks, but whatever its source, it's potent.
Thus, all innovations in Taylor's economic methods are geared towards the seizure and control of Primal Energy. She believes the time has come for Primal Energy to be secretly banked among RDs, bending their very twisted livelihoods to the will and authority of the Technocratic Union. All Adjustments, all advanced technologies and devices, all scientific theories and philosophies, are bent for this domineering goal. Paradox results only because that goal has not yet been met. When all that is valued is under control, there will be no such hazards as Paradox...unless the Syndicate wills it, of course.
Everything is electronic now. Everything is hooked up to the same transmissions. With the right coding, anything can be broken down into transferable bytes and dispatched through fiber wires and satellites. Information is only the most common media. And of course, to enter the correct coding of Correspondence, Taylor requires a computer with Internet (or dedicated Intranet at least) hook-up. The computer can be her personalized PC set-up in her study, or it can be a palmtop she carries with her to a social function. Of course, Taylor specializes in the opposite of transfer. She is highly skilled at blocking those transfers, at creating impenetrable firewalls. Taylor is a highly skilled anti-hacker and uses the best, most up-to-date, and the most cunning software protections. No hacker can easily access her accounts, not even a Virtual Adept.
"Supply & demand" is a bedrock principle of economic theory, and it is the nature of the principle that "action begets consequence". Based on the constant balancing act between the forces of supply and demand, everything has an inevitable result. Economic determinism so calculated from these fundamental principles could both predict and affect the fortunes of supply and demand in the field of Entropy. It just requires logical deduction to the natural conclusion of the affair at hand, a task for which Taylor's mind is aptly skilled.
The body, human or otherwise, has needs and holds values, too! Especially since Taylor's introduction to motherhood has the Financier branched out into the advanced science of Life. She understands the basic concepts of biology and medicine at least. But Taylor's mind grasps how to judge what the body wants and needs more intuitively than scientifically. That is how Taylor knows when certain nutrients are appropriate to supply, and if need-be through external supplementation (namely pharmaceuticals and medicine).
Lookism is the way of the world. All the psychological devices and counsel in the world pales in comparison to this simple reality. Maintaining an appropriate appearance is vital to affecting others' opinions and building self-confidence. First impressions can leave such a lasting impact on others when masterfully approached that even their dreams and subconscious psyches may be affected, marking her Adept skill at Mind. Subtle gestures and innuendo effects Adjustments on others' minds better than any harsh conditioning. Indeed, subtlety can create more shocking and sudden impulses than an authoritarian command ever can.
To both the Enlightened personnel of the Union and Reality Deviants everywhere, Primal Energy is the real currency of import. Luckily, it is a measurable and quantifiable material like electricity, even if unlike electricity Sleeper scientists have yet to identify its existence. And like utilities, with the correct electronic transfer through the Sphere of Prime, that energy can be siphoned or plain cut off. To affect such control, of course, Taylor must demonstrate her Technocratic authority. As she rises in the ranks of the Syndicate, so is her authority in this matter upgraded, too. With the swipe of a unique credit card-like device at an ATM, she can punch in the code for the source of Primal Energy to be affected. (Alternatively, if the swiping strip doesn't function, she can pick up a telephone and dial in the card's number as she did in the old days before electronic banking was readily available.)
Both past and future events are conceivable through historical records and proper planning effected through Time. Taylor keeps close track of a corporate timetable, which keeps her on task and guides her to a bright future. This timetable demands constant, daily updates, but it's all part of her strategic routine. With the wisdom of history's mistakes and successes and the brilliant hope of the future on Taylor's side, she's ready for anything.
Taylor Providence visualizes a crystalline web that enmeshes her and all her ambitions. Every node is aglow with influence, money, Primal Energy, or philosophical secrets and wisdom. It's all there for the taking, but Taylor finds she can loosen but one hand at a time to reach out and try to claim one of these treasures. To complicate things further, they typically only twinkle once in awhile, and rarely at the same time. Taylor knows she must sometimes choose between temporal power and uncovering new truths. It's a constant struggle that demands uncanny insight into the future and nature of human society. Her Genius is a powerful aspect of balancing need with desire, altruism with self-focus, and peace with war. Taylor knows she can adjust the future of the whole planet if she puts her mind to it.
Perhaps that is why Taylor recognizes that the Providence Tithe Program can potentially reshape the goals of the whole Syndicate, or even the entire Union. Indeed, it may cast a new shade to the Technocracy's Pogrom, giving that program a more peaceful if dominating feature. If the PTA succeeds even locally, Taylor knows she will have made her mark on the world, for it may at the very least influence future Union goals and plans.
Resonance
Dynamic (Energetic)
Taylor brings constant assertive activity to everything she endorses and in which she participates. She's not the type of Financier that's content to sit back and let money just roll in. Taylor's the original go-getter. Thus, in social situations her Resonance affects positively any initiatives she assumes by -3 difficulty to those related first rolls. But if she tries to wait and let others make the first move, she suffers a +3 difficulty to those interacting first Social rolls.
This applies to her Adjustments, too. She gains a -1 difficulty on Enlightenment rolls for any Effects that involve the direct manipulation of raw energy (namely Primal Energy). Indirect Adjustments designed to manipulate raw energy are harder for this aggressive Financier: +1 difficulty to the Enlightenment rolls.
Entropic (Merciless)
In the same fashion that Taylor's go-getter attitude influences Dynamic Resonance, so does it render her nature Entropic, too. The Financier is utterly merciless when on the warpath: she lets no obstacles in her way, and sweeps aside those that stray in her route without conscience. She's known as a shrewd negotiator, but her corporately brutal reputation precedes her. She receives a -3 difficulty on Intimidation rolls, while suffering a +3 difficulty on any rolls made to craft fair negotiations.
Her Science is affected similarly. Adjustments designed to seize all or destroy entirely receive a -1 difficulty to the Enlightenment rolls. But Adjustments that aim to merely stun or spare some of a target's assets are harder for this tycoon: +1 difficulty to Enlightenment checks.
Static (Merging)
As Taylor destroys or annexes her enemies and rivals, Static Resonance takes on the qualities of her conglomerated company. Like her corporation, Taylor finds it easier to express herself through complexity and diversity: -3 difficulty to Social rolls that permit her to go into complicated detail. When she has to keep to the old proverb of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid), she finds life harder: +3 difficulty to related Social rolls. Taylor's neither simple nor stupid, but she does find it painfully hard to socialize with people who are.
Her Adjustments are profoundly and wholly affected by this merging trend. Whenever Taylor employs either a standardized Adjustment of the Convention, or innovates an entirely new idea, she suffers a +1 difficulty to Enlightenment checks. Yet when she blends the old and new -- standardization with innovation -- the Adjustments are executed more fluidly. Then she gains a -1 difficulty to Enlightenment rolls.
Devices
Physical Transferral Accoutrement
Level: 3
Enlightenment: 3
Primal Energy: 15
Origin: Acquired through an exchange favors with a contingent of NSC, this small device was essentially bought and paid for when Taylor insured the agents were properly funded and armed to deal with anomalous manifestations taking place on site of allied corporations, despite resistance from Disbursements. (It's pure coincidence that the device is known as a PTA, the same as Taylor's Pogrom-based scheme, as well as the parents/teachers association!)
Description: This small platinum ring fits perfectly on a woman's middle finger. It's studded with tiny diamonds and looks very expensive! Minute, nanotech-based fusion devices are inserted into the hearts of every flawless gem that are attuned to the wearer's Primal Resonance. When activated, they create a brief and personal wormhole, drawing ring and bearer through and to a predetermined site.
Effects: 1) Teleport the wearer (yes, this is vulgar as hell and used only as a desperate escape measure!)
Primal Energy Costs: Device: 0, Effect #1: 1
Activation: Taylor must rotate the ring around her finger (and this must be done purposely, the ring fits too tightly to accidentally be turned). But even then the device will not work if she does not pre-program the site (via computer/satellite link-up) to which she wants the ring to teleport her (which she usually does back in her Laboratory).
