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tushanshu
Player Information:
Name: JC
Age: Over 18
Contact: message through DW or
Other Characters Played: N/A
Character Information:
Name: Alistair Krei
Canon: Big Hero 6 (film)
Canon Point: Shortly after the end of the movie
Age: Late thirties
Reference Links: Big Hero 6 | San Fransokyo | Alistair Krei
Setting:
San Fransokyo, California, 2030-something. Take the city by the bay and jam it together with the glittering neon and skyscrapers of Tokyo and you've got a pretty fair idea of what San Fransokyo looks like. Everything in the city has a Japanese flair to it, from the trolleys to the San Fransokyo Bridge (complete with Shinto torii) to the signs up and down just about any street. You'll still find the "Painted Lady" Victorian houses as you would in San Francisco, but you'll also find a huge mass of highrises downtown. The people on the streets are a pretty diverse lot as well, thanks to the large Japanese immigrant population from a little over a century ago.
Since the movie is set in the near-future, the technology level is a little more advanced than our own (3-D printers are apparently a thing that anyone might have laying around in their garage, and computers come in desktop, laptop, and holo-projection varieties) but overall life isn't so very different than what we're used to. People still drive cars, eat doughnuts, and listen to beat poetry (okay well hipsters still do that, anyway). In fact if it weren't for some of the really amazing tech to be found here and there, you might not even be able to distinguish this from the present.
One of the places to find such tech would be the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. The brightest minds in robotics, mechanical engineering, and a multitude of other fields attend SFIT and churn out some amazing inventions. The current crop of students are so far producing laser-induced plasma, bicycles with electro-magnetic suspension, and robots capable of scanning a human and diagnosing/treating any injuries or illnesses. This is the school that Tadashi Hamada attends--you know, just your average college-age kid developing a robotic healthcare companion. No big. This is also the school that Tadashi tries to get his genius younger brother Hiro into, which induces Hiro to develop some new tech of his own for the Technology Expo. And this is where Hiro meets Alistair Krei.
Krei is the CEO of Krei Tech, the largest technology company in the world. All those little "K" logos on the back of the computers? Yeah that's them. Krei is an entrepreneur and is described as a "tech guru," effectively making him this world's version of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates
Unfortunately for Krei, Robert Callaghan, one of Tadashi's professors at SFIT, steps in and convinces Hiro not to sell the microbots. It's clear from the brief interaction between Callaghan and Krei that there's a lot of ill will on Callaghan's part, and eventually Hiro learns why: Abigail Callaghan, the professor's daughter, worked for Krei at one point. Krei was testing a top secret project, Project Silent Sparrow, that involved teleportation via controlled wormholes. Krei was using a tiny island off the coast to house the project, which was commissioned by the government judging by the presence of a general at the testing. Abigail was the pilot of a shuttle sent into the wormhole, but thanks to a malfunction the portal had to be cut off and Abigail was lost. The general shuttered the project, leaving the portals in pieces and Abigail unreachable. Robert, who was present at the accident and may have even worked on the project himself, blamed Krei--there had been a minor fluctuation in the readings of the portals moments prior to the test, and Krei had allowed the test to continue.
So fast forward back to the expo, and there's a fire. Hiro and Tadashi learn that Professor Callaghan is still in the building and Tadashi rushes back in
SO Krei's pull point is from just after the events of the movie, when clean up of the demolished Krei Tech building has begun, Callaghan has been carted off to jail, and Hiro is going back to school to be a regular genius-inventor-superhero type kid. Meaning that so far, Krei would have the farthest canon point of any of the (potential?) cast. Which is a little hilarious, because the jerk that caused all of this (inadvertently!) is the only one who knows everything that happened. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Personality:
If you gave Robert Callaghan two minutes to explain just what kind of man Alistair Krei is, you'd walk away from the conversation believing him to be a thoughtless, arrogant, self-centered jerk. But then again, you'd be taking this advice from a man who'd tried to murder him, so maybe that description ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
It's easy to believe those things about Krei, though, if you want to. He's the CEO of the largest technology company in the world and a hugely public figure. People love to believe all sorts of things about public figures, and especially the ones who run vast corporations--see the TV Tropes for Evil Inc and Corrupt Corporate Executive (and you're welcome for getting you lost in TV Trope-land!). The whole reason the Big Hero 6 initially believe Krei to be the masked man is Fred, after all, who cites a stack of comic books in which the wealthy industrialist turns out to be a supervillain. In Krei's case, however, that perception simply isn't true. Is he flawed? Of course he is, he's human--and he's a human with a lot of money and power, which tends to skew a person's beliefs and perceptions to varying degrees. But he's not evil.
The first thing to be noted about Krei is that he's incredibly charismatic. He's handsome, well-spoken, generally very polite, and affable. He's the kind of person that could successfully sell a product to millions of people--and has. It's all well and good to be a tech genius, but if you're not likable, if you're not a salesman, you're not going to be able to front your company. Public speaking is something he does with complete ease. He has a bit of a flair for the dramatic, as we see when he's introducing Project Silent Sparrow to the general inspecting the operation. The downside of this is that Krei isn't used to being shot down. He reacts with barely concealed disbelief when Hiro turns down his offer to bring the microbots to Krei Tech, although he's very aware that if not for Callaghan's interference he'd likely have been able to seal the deal.
(I say he's generally very polite because he does have a streak of sass in him. When Callaghan is throwing shade at him in front of Hiro we see Krei roll his eyes and stick his tongue in his cheek, looking annoyed.)
On the flipside of the coin, you can't just use your charm to build a technology empire either. Krei is a legitimate tech expert, presumably specializing in computers (this is my educated guess, given the evidence in the movie despite the fact that it's never stated outright; notice those big K logos on the back of most of the computers in San Fransokyo?) and having at least a good familiarity with robotics, although clearly the company has started branching out into pioneering new forms of technology as well--as evidenced by the wormhole/teleportation project. He graduated from San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, the same school where Callaghan taught and where Hiro and his friends attend classes. And he doesn't just leave all the work to the people he employs these days, oh no. While he obviously has to take point on selling the product, we see during the video recording of Project Silent Sparrow that he takes over on one of the consoles and knows exactly what to do, without just ordering one of the technicians to do it.
Aaaand thus we come to the sticking point, the part that caused Callaghan to snap and fake his own death to have a chance at exacting his revenge on Krei. Yes, Krei knew there was a minor fluctuation in the system when he sent Abigail into it. So why did he allow the test to continue?
I'm choosing to take Krei at his word when he said that the readings were "well within parameters." Yes, he was under pressure for the whole presentation to go smoothly, with a big government contract riding on it. Impressing the general was of the utmost importance, and stopping the entire test to check a minor fluctuation was probably not the way to do that. Should he have stopped the test from an ethical standpoint? Maybe. He made a judgment call, and unfortunately that call turned out to have disastrous results. Does that mean he was negligent, or "arrogant" as Callaghan later calls him? Krei doesn't see it that way. Taking him at his word, in his mind he firmly believes that the incident was an accident. The brief bit of banter we get between him and Abigail shows them to be friendly, and testing a big project like Silent Sparrow means that Krei probably picked Abigail personally to be the pilot. He wouldn't have endangered her, and the entire project, without believing the risk to be too slight to worry about.
Of course just because he doesn't believe that he's an unthinking, self-centered jerk doesn't mean that he isn't. Again, when one has enough money and power, little things like risk factors start to get a bit skewed in one's head. The consideration should have been "will the pilot be endangered or not?" instead of "will the pilot be endangered or will the general be unimpressed by what he sees?" One human life vs. millions of dollars. So yes, he's definitely self-centered to a certain degree, weighing his own needs higher than those of others even if he's not consciously aware of it. When you get used to being the epicenter of a giant force like Krei Tech, these things kind of happen.
It's common to see Krei described as a coward, due to his reaction to being attacked by Callaghan. Yes, he runs initially, and then when he's caught up in the microbots he cringes and offers Callaghan "anything you want" if he'll just let him go. While this might be seen as cowardly in comparison to the team of young superheroes who come to his rescue, I would argue that this reaction is simply that of a normal human being. Krei is no superhero--he's a nerd at heart, a tech nerd who's suddenly been attacked by some kind of crazy supervillain. Do any of the other onlookers stop to see if they can maybe lend a hand to their boss? The guy who signs their paychecks? No, they run, down to the last person. And yeah, Krei offers Callaghan anything he wants, leveraging his considerable wealth in the hopes of freeing himself. The man has billions. Seems like a pretty solid bargaining chip, however tone-deaf it might be in this specific circumstance. Again, it's that skewing of perceptions that comes with wealth. Tone-deaf seems a pretty apt description for him, actually. Well-meaning but tone-deaf.
The biggest strike against the "cowardly" description is the fact that after the portal falls, Krei stays. Yes, he's surrounded by the Big Hero 6 so Callaghan won't be able to get to him at this point, but he repeatedly makes the point that the portal is tearing itself apart and that the area isn't safe. And yet he stays with the kids until it's all over. Overall, when not facing a supervillain he'd probably be about as useful in a fight as... any other guy who's never been in a fight before would be. Which is to say not at all. If/when facing Callaghan again he would likely still act much the same way as before, however, at least the first few times. The Big Hero 6 may have saved Krei from Callaghan but that incident will be etched in his mind for a long, long time.
It's clear from the suits he wears, the lack of a tie with said suits, and the way he presents himself that Krei is very conscious of his own image. Being in the spotlight and on television so often necessitates this. Aside from the tailored clothing, Krei is slightly obsessive about health and fitness. He exercises regularly and eats
Above all, Krei's company is the most important thing in his life, his entire driving force. He's an entrepreneur who's managed to build a multi-billion dollar business at a relatively young age, so it's fair to say that his work always comes first. He's not married and has never put much effort into personal relationships. Callaghan even compares Krei's company being "everything" to him with Abigail being "everything" to Callaghan. He's the sort of person who takes the utmost pride in his work and doesn't do anything halfway
Appearance: Link
Krei is tall--slightly taller than Callaghan, so maybe 6'2" or 6'3"--and fit, with dark blond hair and bright blue eyes. He's classically handsome
Abilities:
Krei is a normal, squishy human.
That being said, he's also pretty damn brilliant, given that he's the CEO of his own company, which just so happens to be the largest technology company in the world. So basically, he's the Bill Gates/Steve Jobs of this world. You don't get to a place like that by being just kind of smart.
Now to be fair, despite having graduated from San Fransokyo Institute of Technology and running his own GIANT TECH COMPANY, he may not have quite the genius potential that someone like Hiro Hamada does--frankly, it's never shown in the movie. We do know that he has a hand in the work of his own company, however, as we clearly see him taking the controls of the Silent Sparrow project when it's demanded that the project be aborted. He doesn't just bark commands to the technicians underneath him, he knows exactly how everything works. So it's still accurate to say that when it comes to most kinds of tech--robotics, computers, etc--Krei is pretty damn sharp.
It's fair to assume that most citizens of San Fransokyo have at least some grasp of Japanese, given how mixed the culture is. Given that he's probably needed it for business over the years, Krei has a basic fluency in spoken Japanese and knows some of the more specialized tech terms, although slang would go right over his head.
Inventory:
Krei won't have much on him, aside from his disgustingly expensive tailored suit, his cell phone (which given the level of tech in San Fransokyo, is probably really cool. and made by Krei Tech of course) and a tablet, also made by Krei Tech and capable of holo projection. Oh, and a wallet full of credit cards that will do him NO GOOD.
Suitability:
Krei will, at first, be completely unsuited to life in this setting--but that is probably the best thing that could happen to him, truth be told. He's so used to being one of the biggest names in the world, to being a billionaire and having people to do things for him, that having to start from scratch and do things for himself is going to be a bit of a shock. (It's not that he can't do it, however. Krei Tech wasn't handed to him, he built it from the ground up. It's just going to take him a while to remember how that works. Not being a billionaire and all.) It's also going to be a shock not having his company to work on, which means he's going to have to find some kind of motivation (CR potential!).
After an initial adjustment period he'll start trying to work with the tech in the Metal Sector, and may actually start trying to help people gosh. If the techies are all flocking around Callaghan, however, Krei's going to avoid that like the plague (NO REASON, REALLY). He also has plenty of experience in dealing with Very Important People, so politicking isn't out of the question. If the tech angle is blocked from him he'll definitely angle toward politics instead.
Again, he's not a bad person, but having to scrape his way up from being a newbie (as well as the repercussions of the encounter with Callaghan) will likely smooth some of the pretentious, self-centered edges after a while.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
The previous home of the Krei Tech, the high rise he'd intended to lease out once the move was complete, had welcomed them back like an old friend. Employees had set themselves up as best they could in their old offices and cubicles, making do with only half of the tech they'd been used to since so much had been lost. He's been working no less than any of the others, though of course he was only present for the salvage of the ruined building during the first shift, when the camera crews had been there catching it all for the nightly news. Mostly he's been in meetings, an endless string of them--clean up crews, city officials, contractors, investors. It never ends. His assistant keeps him supplied with a constant stream of caffeine--cinnamon lattes, skinny--and he lives in the conference room during the day, emerging as the sun sets to set up camp in his old office for the rest of the evening.
The nice furniture, the handsome, oversized wooden desk and matching shelves, had been moved to the new campus and are currently in several small pieces, crushed amongst the rest of the debris. He's had another desk moved in for the time being, salvaged from one of the engineers who'd insisted that she could share with someone else. The computer he's rigged up isn't quite up to snuff with his old system either, but it's functional. It is here that he finds himself now, groggy and disoriented as he wakes in the dark, neck stiff from sleeping sitting in his chair with his head on his desk.
Again. It's the fourth night this week.
The first couple of nights his assistant had tried to rouse him, tried to shove him out the door and into his car (with a driver of course; driving sleepy is nearly as bad as driving drunk, as everyone knows). Last night she'd ordered take-out, left it on the corner of his desk. It had been a nice thought, but it was cold when he'd finally got to it. Tonight there is an iced latte in a double insulated cup, a cold sandwich, and his cell phone already has the number of a limo service punched into it. He smiles in the dark, reminds himself to give her another raise as soon as they get this mess sorted out.
And of course there's no doubt in his mind that they will. They've taken a hit, sure, but no one was killed (miraculously) during the incident and the company is still solvent. He built this company once, made it the leading technology company in the world. He'll do it again, from the ground up, if need be.
He flicks on the light, wincing as his eyes adjust, and gathers up his belongings--keys, coat, latte. Even at this ungodly hour (after 1AM already?) the limo service answers the phone immediately, promises to have someone there for him within twenty minutes. He finishes half the sandwich, tosses the other half in the garbage, and sips absently on the latte as makes his way through the half-lit building toward the elevator. Instead of pressing the button for the ground floor he pauses, however, thumb hovering over the bank of numbers. Some of the engineers have been burning the midnight oil as well, keeping themselves up all hours of the night to rebuild the fractured projects they'd been working on when everything had gone to hell. Krei presses the button for the fourth floor and sips on his latte again as the elevator descends.
Sure enough, all of the lights in engineering are on and there are voices coming from farther down the hall, obviously weary but exuberant nonetheless. They don't notice him right away, propped against the doorframe, watching them work. When they do notice there's immediate shuffling of feet, sheepish looks and sputtering. He laughs. Isn't he here as well? The tension melts and they rope him into looking at some of their progress. He points out something they're all overlooking, even going so far as to have a seat at one of their computers and taking over for a few minutes before glancing at the time. The limo's going to be here any minute. He begs off, promising to take a fresh look at it all in the morning, and gathers up his coat and his cup.
Before he heads back for the elevator he fishes his wallet out of his slacks, pulls out a pretty hefty chunk of yen, and lays it on one of the desks. Taps his fingertips on the money. Makes them promise to buy themselves pizza or something if they're going to be here much longer. They promise and he shuffles his way back into the elevator, suddenly feeling the lack of sleep kicking him like a mule. He leans against the wall, promises himself that it will be worth it.
It was worth it, and it will be worth it again.
Network:
[The man that appears in the video is wearing a very expensive tailored suit, and he's handsome if you don't hold it against him that he has a busted lip. He's a little uncomfortable being on the screen and it shows, though it's nothing to do with shyness--being on national television is old hat to him, after all. He's unhappy about looking so battered, though, and as the video begins he's vaguely muttering about technology. The phrase "backwater" slips out before he settles down and addresses the network.]
Ah, hello. My name is Alistair Krei, though I don't suppose that means much to anyone out there, does it? [he frowns] I met up with the Welcoming Committee--both of them. [a derisive snort] And yet I keep hoping that sooner or later sanity will reassert itself. As that's looking less and less likely with time, however...
I'm going to need some way to pay for my room. In San Fransokyo I am... [he pauses; perhaps it would be prudent not to mention that billionaire thing right up front] I own my own business. A technology company. Computers, robotics, engineering. If there's any call for that sort of thing here, I'm available. My schedule is remarkably empty at the moment.
[guess who's too proud to come out and say "hey I need a job"]