Interlude: State of Affairs
Civilization.
New Avalon
11th December, 3022
The waiting was a nightmare, between his trips to visit Markham in the hospital, Darius had taken to checking with the MRB at the HPG station in the capital. Otto's convoy pulled up at our pad once more, having requested a meeting some hours ago. And yet the mood in the Warden's Rest was relaxed, he had come around the last couple days as well seeming interested in small talk with people who weren't simply corporate lackeys.
This time he looked excited, and I couldn't decide if that was a good sign or a bad one. "Greetings Kane, a fine day is it not?"
The Sacristans looked up from their work on the Dominus. Otto spared them only a short glance, unsettled by the implants they used to work on the sacred machines. "How so Otto?" I said looking outside, it looked like it was going to rain.
"I've been in contact with my family and you weren't wrong." He said heading for the mess hall, angry bodyguards in tow. The promise of making him near limitless money had excited Otto to the point of forgiving my ill considered stunt. The bodyguards with bruises in all sorts of interesting places had been less so. On learning what I did, despite my authority, Darius hadn't hesitated to smack me over the back of the head for the little demonstration. "They've put an amount in escrow for the production and installation of gravity plating in the entire dropship and aerospace fleet. Pending successful demonstrations of the technology."
I smiled as I imagined the cha-ching sound in my head.
"Paid in installments naturally as work commences, and i'm sure you realise that it's going to be a time consuming process." Otto said trying to bring me down from a money-high.
"So what are you going to start with?" I asked as I sat down, the contract wasn't signed yet.
"The Aerospace fleet, it's the smallest job and poses the least risk to security, based on what you've given us so far, we estimate an aerospace fighter could probably be refitted with gravity plating in as little as an hour." Otto said with a grin. "There will be some Dropships in the initial batch, but Hanse doesn't want to create a colossal security hole by grounding out entire Dropship fleet, and I can't say I blame him."
"I understand that, i'd feel the same way." I said neutrally.
The door hissed open and I almost stood up in surprise, Markham sat there, bald as an egg. Wheeling himself into the room with Darius behind him. Otto frowned then realized who it was. "Markham, you should be in the hospital." I said.
The prosthetics had been fitted, but Markham was still clearly healing. "Apparently not Kane, turns out our money didn't buy limitless forbearance. They've decided there won't be any further complications and that I should heal well enough and turfed me out with the contact for a physiotherapist to help me get back on these feet."
Otto didn't comment and I knew that someone higher up the tree had needed the bed.
"Well, i'd say you look good. But that's only compared to other people who take an AC/20 to the cockpit. We didn't even have to get the hose out, just a shovel." I remarked and Markham barked a laugh.
"I'll give it to you straight son, I pretty much wish I hadn't, how is my Marauder?"
"Not good, though most of it is fine, the cockpit was a write-off, and that bastard has a small complex one. I've been told the best place for us to look is probably outreach." I said with a shrug as Darius sat down with us. The bodyguards looked eve more nervous.
"No surprise, none of the Successor states tend to want us hanging around too much, it gives people ideas," Markham said nodding to Otto, "at least, unless you can make friends with the right people. I apologize for the stunt my protege here put you through," He picked up the pad with the contract details, "as for this little gem. We have some more negotiating to do, Darius and Warden are clever men, but not clever enough to spot several of your little trap clauses."
-----------------------------------------
There were two more days where Markham was cloistered away with the Davion lawyer and Otto while I watched the proceedings with something approaching awe. Losing Markham would have been a major blow. The Davion's were fair, but they'd put in clauses that we hadn't understood as fully as we thought that would allow them to subcontract production of the plating to other companies for a royalty that we would not receive a share in, effectively allowing them to shoulder us out of the majority of the profits.
The meetings were only stopped infrequently when they became too much for the recovering Markham and he had to pause or endanger his health, or so we thought at first, it took us a while to realize that these medical recesses were clever tactics by Markham to sweat the Davion lawyers and build up some sympathy in Otto.
But finally, we signed the paperwork. And I was stunned by what Markham had achieved. He had 'forsaken' the initial fee in exchange for a two-percent royalty on the production run as well as retaining the intellectual licenses to the design. Moreover, he had negotiated to receive six months of projected royalties up front as a lump sum by giving up 20% from the initial lump-sum for my 'dangerous stunt' as well as enough gravity plating to finish refurbishing our own Dropships with it.
Otto joined us in the mess while we celebrated. He slapped me on the shoulder. "Damn if Markham isn't a shark in negotiations. And here I thought we had secured an absolute bargain. But next time you plan on demonstrating a technology, maybe don't use your buyer as the test dummy?" The words were said with a laugh and a smile, but the squeeze on my shoulder was intended to convey a more serious intent.
I chuckled, the tone conveying understanding, "I would hope not Otto, I fucked up," I shrugged, "There will be a next time, but I think i'll have something more safe in mind for demonstrations."
Markham joined us. "So what's next Warden?"
"More work. There's a legacy I want to build, and it's only in its infant stages." I said plainly.
"Well, I would suggest a quick return to the Periphery, the Banks restricted our movement with the Hysteria, and you sidestepped them somehow. They're not happy and they're talking about defaults and repossession. They can't do anything about the Warden's Rest, but this contract includes modifying the Leo and that is also against contract." Markham said as he rested for a second.
Otto spoke next, "Wise words, the Banks can be more cutthroat than a Capellan noble who feels insulted, and people take them more seriously too."
I nodded. "Markham, what are your plans? No disrespect friend, but the doctors were clear you'd never pilot a mech again."
His expression turned serious, "I can't return with you, i'm broken in mind and being near you guys, watching you go on drops and come back with mechs in need of patching, i'd be forever reminded of how I couldn't even get in the cockpit and take the same risks," He handed me a datapad, "I'm turning over control of the Marauders to you, let's be honest, most of our warriors look to you already. I saw Behemoth sporting those fancy dreadlocks you have."
"And I know I can't get them, the damage to my noggin is too great. But what I can do is manage our interests, set up our own tech-firms, build up our relationships here in the Federated Suns." He said as we made our signatures on the reformed contracts.
---------------------------------
I felt almost like my skin was crawling as we waited for the Warden's Rest and Hysteria to receive their full complement of grav plating, the two Stuka's were loaded into the flight deck and had also received the grav plating while I felt the urge to get out. Our accounts were flush with cash from the initial flush from the agreement as people I didn't know boarded daily to prise up the old deckplates and replace them with fresh gravity plating. But our time was productive, Markham had struck up a fast friendship with Otto and was making new connections.
I looked down at the roster of equipment we had now.
Dominus; Preceptor of Death.
Knight; Knight Templar.
Atlas; Rockem Sockem
Marauder; The Mad One - Cockpit Destroyed.
Catapult; Darken
Catapult; The Skies
Shadowhawk; Mighty High
Vindicator; Sunny Day
Spider; Steve
Locust; Bugout
Stuka; Jericho
Stuka; Siren
All but the Spider and Locust resided on the Warden's Rest, with machines to be transferred to or from the Hysteria as needed if we needed a quick insertion and extraction. But the fact was I felt little inclined to set down without my full strength if possible. As I waited for the final fuelling I considered my roster of warriors.
Behemoth was now piloting the Knight Warden with Glitch in the Atlas. Medusa and Dekker were piloting our Catapults. Hellion was a Canopian bloke and was responsible for the Mighty High at the moment. Warspite and Spike were twins from the Combine, a vicious brother-sister team working the Vindicator and Spider in a sniper-spotter arrangement. One reaching outreach I would have further issues to consider, the acquisition of another pair of mechs at least as well as try and get my hands on the CVs I wanted.
The spark of ambition had truly grown into a pilot flame. But I was going to need pilots, tank crews, another few mechwarriors. And once we had made our run to outreach, it would be time to return to the Periphery to await the return of Kamea and the beginning of the Aurigan Restoration