Chapter 14
Big Business and the Faint Sound of Church Bells
New Avalon - NAIS
11th January, 3024
The robe paced upset, angry and virtually about to take a tantrum as I say on the other side of the room suppressing a grin. Since the Demonstration the Warden's Rest had made planetfall and the Hysteria returned to orbit to cover security over the Star Lord.
"It is a perfectly fair offer Colonel Giordino, and it is not often that Comstar makes an offer like this," The Precentor was practically in a panic, "Two hundred million is a most fair o..."
Markham held up a hand as I leaned forwards.
"Two hundred million is a fine offer, for a more restricted license. But you want a license without any royalties, in perpetuity." Markham said, "That is blatantly highway robbery, these heat sinks are five times as effective for their weight as any standard heat sinks across the Inner sphere," I didn't intervene and point out that they were still over twice as efficient as even double heat-sinks, Markham frowned, "And the reach of the technology is beyond anything else i can imagine, Jumpships, Dropships, Mechs, Fusion powered vehicles, ASF, Civilian Power Plants.... they will all want a piece of this technology. Put a thousand of them on a Warship and there is 10 million C-bills right there for one ship.."
"And we would have to eat the produc..."
"And nothing, with a license like that you would just market the plans to firms you have controlling interests in and have them eat the costs while you take pure profit, which is something you already do with the HPG facilities I might add." Markham said angrily.
"I say, if you're not happy with such a deal I am quite happy to..."
"To walk while we offer it to everybody else? No. You've come at us with an offer so low as to be entirely insulting. I won't stoop to that level because I have a healthy respect for Comstar even if it doesn't have it for me." His tone was saddened. "No i'm going to give you an offer instead, we are prepared to offer ComStar, for its own use only, unrestricted access to the technology free of royalties in perpetuity for an up front cost of five billion C-bills. In addition, ComStar may further licence out production of the heat sinks to any of the Successor States, but in the case of such sub-licensing, we are to receive a 10 percent royalty on sales, per unit, from non-Comstar producers. This deal includes exclusivity outside of the Federated Suns, we will not market our heat sinks to anyone outside of the Federated Sun in perpetuity."
The Precentor actually sat down like an Atlas that had been knocked on its ass unexpectedly, hard and fast enough his acolytes rushed over to check he was ok. "You can't really believe that Comstar could possibly accept those terms?"
Markham shrugged. "You are entirely free to present the offer to the Primus and come to us with a counter-offer, I am eager to hear about further business we can do."
The Precentor stood up and walked off as the Davion lawyer watched in admiration. "You've quite possibly made the biggest mistake you could imagine."
Markham nodded, "If it was just the Precentor, certainly, but he made the mistake of pointing out the offer came directly from the Primus, but I don't think so. I think what we've done is surprised them and let them know we're not just some dumb mercenary company that stumbled onto a technology, they now know we have a proper understanding of the implications of the technology."
The lawyer nodded. "So how do you expect it to go?"
"Either they'll 'talk us down' to a 5 percent royalty on external licensing they conduct and maybe down to 4 billion c-bills. Or, what worries me most, is they'll want private licensing for the Armigers for themselves and let us have my proposal in full. In any case, I think the clincher is the offer that they'll have exclusive rights to market it outside of the Federated Suns, for whatever price they want basically." Markham said plainly.
The lawyer nodded. "Very well, shall I bring in the next customer?"
"Please."
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Nine days of negotiations. Nine days of hell and a desire to get in the Preceptor of Death and simply level anything in reach. But all that was needed was to sit back and relax. The problem was that Hanse had been right, putting the companies in competition was driving them to fanatical extremes. They all wanted to be in on the ground floor, though they all chafed at the restriction for business selling them to only be conducted in the Federated Suns. For most however, the deal was the same, 250 million for a 25 year license and 5% royalty on sales for the heat sink technology.
Several took the deals, others offered higher for a reduction in royalties or longer terms. By the end of it all over nine companies had made offers to purchase the rights to the Heat Sink technology. And every mech firm on New Avalon put in bids to build and sell Armigers, though predictably Achernar Battlemechs made the most generous offer. Six billion credits and a two percent royalty for the exclusive rights to reproduce the Armiger for the next twenty years with option to extend the license and produce derivative battlemechs based off of the technology.
They would only have to produce two hundred Armigers to cover that investment if they weren't sold at a markup. But moreover, that agreement had included taking over our own contract to produce them for the First Prince instead.
I sat there with the shivers as I contemplated the success of our run, from the nine companies that made offers, seven of them had accepted the terms and conditions netting us 1.75 Billion with 5% royalties. Another six billion from Achernar Battlemechs and Lycomb-Davion Introtech had made a sly offer for the Battery technology with an Invader Jumpship up front and up to a wing of ASFs with a 15% royalty on the Jump-Battery profits when and if the technology actually paid out to develop.
Markham sat in the room as we awaited the ComStar Precentor with something approaching severe shakes as I worried about what they had to say, overnight we had become a vastly wealthy concern with nobody playing anything funny.
"How come they're all quick to accept?" I asked Markham and the Davion lawyer as we sat there waiting. The Lawyer was the first to respond.
"Because Markham is a smart man, the technologies you're offering, you could probably ask for three times as much and almost all of these firms would still pay it out. But by keeping it as low as he has, none of them are really considering it worthwhile to simply try and steal the technology." The man said taking a drink of water.
"Pretty much Kane, to them they're all seeing into the future, and I would bet that most of them are looking into R&D to make derivative technology that they can market without having to pay the royalties."
There was a knock at the door before the Precentor stepped in.
He looked like shit.
"I don't know how you did it." He said finally before tossing a datapad onto the table. "The Primus agreed to your terms, with one condition."
Markham blinked and picked up the pad examining the message and the contract terms before passing it to the Davion lawyer to go over. The terms and conditions were laid out there clear for all to see. Markham turned to me with something approaching trepidation and fear. "The condition is that their duty to pay us royalties from external licensing and sales ends after fifty years."
The Precentor still looked upset. "The Primus could not settle for anything less." He said plainly, "If you find the condition to be acceptable, we would be interested in getting this out of the way and seeing how you would prefer to receive payment?"
I nodded and Markham passed over the slate. With both the Davion lawyer and Markham having gone over the contract I felt confident that the deal was in good faith. Signing the document, followed by Markham and then the Precentor who passed it to the Davion lawyer as a witness.
The Precentor nodded. "And in what manner would you prefer the lump sum payment?"
"C-Bills." Markham said.
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Hanse Davion was sitting down in the chair with a wry smile as he watched me take a shaky seat. "How does it feel to convince people to part with so much money, thirteen point seven five billion an invader jumpship and an wing of ASFs. Not counting royalties."
"To be honest sir, like a small fish just tossed into the shark pool." I said with a grin. The truth was it was enormous setup money for me, but for these companies, it was an inconvenient startup for a much more profitable venture. I knew they would all be looking and wondering what I didn't show.
"Well you've got that right. Our agreements that you wouldn't take work against the Federated Suns mean a lot, but you made a few enemies. What are your plans now?" Hanse leaned back as he waited politely.
"That depends on you First Prince," I said cautiously, "I'd like to make some more controversial purchases, then make my way back to the outer rim and complete my search for what we have left."
The First Prince looked curious. "Go on."
"Honestly, i'm feeling pretty vulnerable right now, and so i've considered my options pretty heavily." I leaned back. "I would like to secure another two Star Lords, an Achilles class Dropship, a Mule, Excalibur, Fortress and an Overlord Dropship, all with Grav-plating."
I saw him bring out a pocket calculator as he tried to conceal his surprise. And I didn't blame him, I expected a six billion cbill tag on the entire collection at least.
"That's five billion credits worth of ships!" He said disbelieving, he stared at me, "Boy this sort of ambition, what are you after really."
"My peoples legacy," I said a determined look on my face. Hanse was laughing as he looked at the proposal. "Amaris' nuts boy you have the stones...." He stood up and looked into the drawers of the office. "But I like that, and with the plans I have with the Steiners, we might need stones like that in the coming days. According to my intelligence you have some Capellan enemies, I could use that too."
He came back and sat down with various files in hand. "I'm going to agree to your ballsy request. Because I think I can use you in future, but I need an absolutely ironclad contract that you will never ever take a contract that acts against the Federated Suns or the Lyran Commonwealth or the Federated Commonwealth," Hanse said his voice going deadly serious, "with the sort of penalty clause that means if you break it without justified cause, such as being attacked, we will put a billion credit bounty on on your head."
Markham hadn't said a word but an expression of near terror crossed his eyes, it was the sort of penalty clause that would effectively exile us to the far periphery to survive if we broke it.
Hanse smiled and held up a hand, "But we are not without some sort of generosity, we would also like to secure the Raven Guard on a first-option retainer for contracts we deem to be within your ability. You won't be compelled to take them naturally, but we thought perhaps you'd appreciate it?"
"Certainly First Prince.. I'm incalculably grateful." I was stunned, utterly blasted. Even knowing that just under half our newfound wealth was going clean out the door.
"And I have a few contacts," He winked with a grin, "So I can set you up with crews if you like."
I nodded, passing the document Hanse had prepared to Markham to examine, he read it carefully and nodded. With shaking hands, I signed.
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Four Jumpships and seven Dropships. A small navy, but one nonetheless, I had contacted Lycomb-Davion for the delivery of another fourteen Stukas, six each for the Overlord and three each for the Star Lords in their small craft bays with two for the Achilles. That left us six more to pick up at our leisure as I supervised the transfer of goods, as well as paying out a few million for the custom paintjobs.
Little did I realise that that would be the least of the shocks I would be receiving as I looked at my bank accounts again.
As Miranda sat across from me, in a summer dress of all things as we ate out, I heard the words, both from her lips and mine. "It's been years Kane," she opened a small box and I recognised the object that was within it instantly, knowing only Trotter could have given it to her, "you haven't asked and damned if I want to wait any more, Marry me you blockhead."
I seemed to watch with a sense of detachement as I tried to articulate actual words for some minutes before shutting my mouth, downing my entire glass of fizzed drink and going. "It'd be an honour." Part of me struggled to recoil and draw back the words before they were uttered, a part that was silenced by an idiot smile plastered across my face as she half leapt across the table to proverbially eat my face to the embarassment of some of the other customers.
Trying to maintain my sense of dignity, with a horrifying lack of success I took her in hand and sat down. "So what spurred this leap?"
"Oh it definitely wasn't becoming a billionaire in a fortnight of talks, that wouldn't be it," she joked, "fact is you silly bastard that I love you, and I know you better than anybody else thanks to the Templar." She leaned into me and our implants rattled together. "And why not get married while we're here in the Federated Suns, on their very capital, before we go play stompy death over some more frontier worlds?"
I nervously took the microbead from my pocket and put it in my ear activating it on the appropriate channels. "Signals, put Markham on."
There was a few minutes of delay. "Markham here, whats up Kane."
"I need you to arrange a wedding."
"Fuckshitass." The curses came through thick and clear.
"What?" I said worried.
"Fucking Glitch bet me a thousand Cbills that's what Behemoth got all dressed up for.