Rest & Relax

Rest & Relax (also known as R&R) is a Human company that maintains a chain of hospitality waystations throughout human space. Engineer Johann Alejandre founded Rest & Relax as a single rest stop in the Baker system in 2901. The company initially operated by purchasing and adapting decommissioned stations near well-traveled lanes, and later developed a standard pre-fabricated station that could be shipped and assembled on site. Although individual amenities vary from station to station, R&R stations generally offer refueling and repair options for their customers.

History

"I'm seriously beginning to wonder whether space has more stars or R&R stations."

In under fifty years, Rest & Relax grew from a single station in Baker to a star-spanning chain. Almost everywhere ships can fly, R&R can be found providing pilots the chance to refuel and resupply or simply rest. Thanks to its wide range of amenities and dependable service, R&R has become as ubiquitous to travel as the quantum drive, and a mainstay of modern life.

While studying for her degree, economist Sally Hemsall wrote a paper proposing a direct correlation between a system's economic health and the amount of coffee consumed at Rest & Relax stations. The Humanist Gore Nikori once said that visiting an R&R is as close to a universal experience as can be found among people today. When engineer Johann Alejandre and hauler Kelley 'Teak' Sabatino were building the first Rest & Relax, they had little idea of the impact their company would eventually have in the UEE.

Mythical Beginnings

The story of Rest & Relax begins with engineer Johann Alejandre proposing a deal to an investor. He would convert a decommissioned station into an active refueling depot in half the time and cost it would take to build a new one, but to the same quality. If Alejandre's work did not match his words, the upgrades to the station would be free. His gambit worked. The investor purchased a decrepit scientific station in Baker, and Alejandre's team began applying his construction techniques, turning the station into a sprawling rest stop for haulers.

A few weeks into the project, Alejandre met a Baker-based hauler named Kelley 'Teak' Sabatino. He noted that her shipping concern never made a late delivery, but Sabatino distinguished herself when another company lost a critical shipment within the system that put his timeline and budget in jeopardy. Upon hearing the news, she dispatched a Terrapin, located the lost ship, and sent repair services to expedite its arrival at the station. Alejandre was impressed by her dedication. By the time construction concluded, Sabatino had been contracted to handle most shipments to the station.

Alejandre's team completed the first Rest & Relax station faster and more cheaply than even he had predicted. This allowed him to exercise a clause in the contract and take an ownership stake in the company in lieu of payment for his services. As an owner, his first executive decision was to buy out Sabatino's shipping concern and integrate it into the company's infrastructure. Sabatino accepted the offer only after being given an ownership stake in the company, cementing one of the most significant business relationships of the last century.

While Alejandre and Sabatino became industry icons, the business partner who provided the capital for the project remained relatively unknown. It has since come to light that R&R's success may owe more to this investor than previously believed.

The Secret Partner

Rest & Relax would not exist without Mahir Eriksen, the initially unnamed investor who purchased the outdated scientific station that became the first R&R. Eriksen already had a long and distinguished career investing in start-ups when Alejandre approached him with the offer. Eriksen's lawyers drew up the initial contract, which included two clauses that proved prescient. One was the option allowing Alejandre to take an ownership stake in the company, and the other stipulated that Eriksen's involvement would remain a secret.

Chung Kristoff's The Secret History of Rest & Relax first revealed Eriksen's involvement in the company after years of research and interviews. In the book, Kristoff claims that Eriksen wanted to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a business while avoiding the intense public criticism that often came with it. For years, he had watched others mismanage his investments and believed he could do better, but his business acumen was matched by his desire to stay out of the public eye. Even as one of the Empire's most successful investors, Eriksen's name was virtually unknown outside certain well-connected circles.

With his anonymity guaranteed, Eriksen was the driving force behind many of the company's first decisions. He selected the old scientific station to be refurbished, judging that its location would be ideal thanks to haulers constantly streaming through Baker to Xenia, a massive Covalex shipping hub, and the close proximity of two large jump points into Xi'an space. Eriksen also recommended that Alejandre hire Sabatino to supply the construction operation, reasoning that a well-built station was worthless unless properly supplied. Unbeknownst to Alejandre, he purchased a second station while the first was still under construction, having seen the crew's progress and wanting to ensure they had a second project to move on to directly.

Without Eriksen, Alejandre and Sabatino might have built a good rest stop, but with Eriksen's guidance they were able to build a chain.

Accelerated Expansion

Baker's first Rest & Relax station found immediate success and quickly became a popular stop for haulers. The facility was modern and well-designed, and it featured a wide variety of food options, amenities, and supply stores. Few people would have guessed that an old depressurized wreck was its foundation. Two more stations in Baker opened in quick succession, and Eriksen wanted to expand into nearby systems. This prompted Sabatino to suggest stations in every system within the "Terra Loop", a term used by haulers to describe a series of large jump points connecting Baker, Kiel, Hadrian, Terra, Tayac, Goss, and Osiris.

Eriksen embraced the ambition but ran into a major issue, as there were not enough old stations to go around. He asked Alejandre to engineer a solution, and the result was the standard Rest & Relax station now seen across the universe. Drawing on the techniques he had developed refurbishing stations, the design divided the station into standard pieces that could be easily shipped and assembled. The pieces could also be put together in numerous ways to provide variety in the interior layouts. One of the old stations Eriksen had purchased was converted into a fabrication center and was soon producing station pieces. The mass production of these pieces fueled Rest & Relax's rapid expansion through the Terra Loop and eventually across the Empire. As the company's footprint expanded, it added further production facilities to keep up with demand and reduce delivery times.

The expanding Rest & Relax chain forced Sabatino to constantly refine the logistics of keeping all the stations supplied. Their large size meant there was a great deal of store space to fill and maintain. Initially, Eriksen wanted to vertically integrate the stations with stores stocked with official R&R products and themed restaurants. Sabatino opposed the idea, showing that the logistics would outweigh the benefits. She argued that R&R's reputation among haulers meant businesses would want to rent spaces in the stations. This placed the responsibility of keeping shelves stocked on others, and it also allowed each R&R station to develop its own character and better reflect the system it served. Each station can feature any combination of a dozen franchises specializing in everything from body modifications to fried fish rings, and many travelers will happily debate which system is home to the best R&R.

According to Sabatino, haulers like visiting an R&R because it is not the same every time. "I know this because I've been a hauler all my life," she told the Terra Gazette. "There's a certain calming monotony that comes with cruising through the stars. That's why our stations are always a little different. If all our stations were the same, I'm sure haulers would walk through them with that same glazed look in their eyes. We want to break them out of that mindset so they can take a few minutes for themselves to rest and relax."

Triumphant Triumvirate

When the first Rest & Relax opened in Baker, neither its founders nor industry observers predicted that its reach would soon stretch across the Empire. The trio of an inventive engineer, an industrious hauler, and a reclusive entrepreneur combined technological innovation, timing, and the means and motivation to make it all happen.

Even with these advantages, the company could not have succeeded without haulers and everyday travelers flocking to its stations. Industry analysts repeatedly bet against the company, convinced there was no place for it in a saturated marketplace. Rest & Relax nonetheless demonstrated that a new approach to an established idea could elevate it to previously unknown levels.

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