manufacturing the necessary material shortly.”
One of the company owners raised a hand to catch Alex’s attention. “Admiral, aren’t the T-Stations under government control?”
“You are correct, Ser. That will be remedied soon,” Alex replied simply.
The owner shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The splendidly uniformed Admiral standing before him looked younger than his son, but he didn’t act that way. The Admiral had said he would have the T-Stations producing his material soon, and the owner was inclined to accept his word—it seemed the better part of wisdom.
“As I said, the T-Stations will be producing the material for you,” Alex continued. “What you will need to provide for your part of the agreement will be labor and expenses. We’re proposing a simple trade. We will offer each of you one choice of several Méridien intellectual properties.”
The noise rose in the hall as the attendees began shouting questions over one another. Everyone quieted when they realized Alex wasn’t responding. He just stood there with his hands behind his back. In fact, the Admiral’s entire entourage stood eerily quiet, waiting.
When the noise subsided, Alex focused on an older gentleman who hadn’t shouted a question but was lost in thought. “Ser,” Alex said, pointing at the man. “Did you have a question?”
“I was wondering, Admiral, how I could manage this deal. My company handles ventilation ducting and environmental controls, and we did some of the work on the Outward Bound .”
“And a fine job you did, Ser,” Alex replied. “That shuttle saved tens of thousands of your cousins.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” he replied, nodding. “But, my problem is that I have a crew of nineteen. I saw the size of your city-ship. Even if I received only a portion of the work, it would require me to shoulder the burden of their pay for far longer than I could afford.”
“Would my special guests please stand up?” On Alex’s invitation, five men and women stood up. “Would the contractors please note the faces of these people?” Everyone turned in their seats to take in the five well-dressed men and women. “These are the Directors of five of New Terra’s smaller banks,” Alex continued. “I’ve explained to them what I’m proposing. They are quite anxious to meet with you to form partnerships. They would offer loans for payroll and expenses to support your work on our ships. They will also offer loans to support the cost of research and development of your Méridien tech in exchange for a share of the profits in the new technology. It may be that you’ll wish to form larger partnerships with other contractors to act as a single provider and to share your tech.”
Rather than an outburst, Alex’s statements generated absolute silence.
“Sers,” Alex said, “I leave you to discuss business among yourselves. You may comm Julien for any particulars regarding your opportunities and agreements. He can communicate with your readers. My Chief Engineer, Mickey, is the point person for your jobs. On board the ships, your job quality and final sign-off will be approved by the city-ships’ SADEs, either Cordelia or Z. Your direct client contacts are Director Monti and Director Stroheim. On a final note, you have this hall for the remainder of the day, and staff will serve you meals and refreshment, courtesy of House Alexander. Good day, people.”
Alex and his people swept out of the hall. The group, except for Alex and Étienne, was headed to the Unsere Menschen now that basic services had been restored.
* * *
Alex strolled into the Station Manager’s offices. The young assistant jumped up to greet him and ushered him into Hezekiah’s office. He bumped into the office’s doorway while attempting to get a second look at Étienne as he passed.
Alex sent.
One of the company owners raised a hand to catch Alex’s attention. “Admiral, aren’t the T-Stations under government control?”
“You are correct, Ser. That will be remedied soon,” Alex replied simply.
The owner shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The splendidly uniformed Admiral standing before him looked younger than his son, but he didn’t act that way. The Admiral had said he would have the T-Stations producing his material soon, and the owner was inclined to accept his word—it seemed the better part of wisdom.
“As I said, the T-Stations will be producing the material for you,” Alex continued. “What you will need to provide for your part of the agreement will be labor and expenses. We’re proposing a simple trade. We will offer each of you one choice of several Méridien intellectual properties.”
The noise rose in the hall as the attendees began shouting questions over one another. Everyone quieted when they realized Alex wasn’t responding. He just stood there with his hands behind his back. In fact, the Admiral’s entire entourage stood eerily quiet, waiting.
When the noise subsided, Alex focused on an older gentleman who hadn’t shouted a question but was lost in thought. “Ser,” Alex said, pointing at the man. “Did you have a question?”
“I was wondering, Admiral, how I could manage this deal. My company handles ventilation ducting and environmental controls, and we did some of the work on the Outward Bound .”
“And a fine job you did, Ser,” Alex replied. “That shuttle saved tens of thousands of your cousins.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” he replied, nodding. “But, my problem is that I have a crew of nineteen. I saw the size of your city-ship. Even if I received only a portion of the work, it would require me to shoulder the burden of their pay for far longer than I could afford.”
“Would my special guests please stand up?” On Alex’s invitation, five men and women stood up. “Would the contractors please note the faces of these people?” Everyone turned in their seats to take in the five well-dressed men and women. “These are the Directors of five of New Terra’s smaller banks,” Alex continued. “I’ve explained to them what I’m proposing. They are quite anxious to meet with you to form partnerships. They would offer loans for payroll and expenses to support your work on our ships. They will also offer loans to support the cost of research and development of your Méridien tech in exchange for a share of the profits in the new technology. It may be that you’ll wish to form larger partnerships with other contractors to act as a single provider and to share your tech.”
Rather than an outburst, Alex’s statements generated absolute silence.
“Sers,” Alex said, “I leave you to discuss business among yourselves. You may comm Julien for any particulars regarding your opportunities and agreements. He can communicate with your readers. My Chief Engineer, Mickey, is the point person for your jobs. On board the ships, your job quality and final sign-off will be approved by the city-ships’ SADEs, either Cordelia or Z. Your direct client contacts are Director Monti and Director Stroheim. On a final note, you have this hall for the remainder of the day, and staff will serve you meals and refreshment, courtesy of House Alexander. Good day, people.”
Alex and his people swept out of the hall. The group, except for Alex and Étienne, was headed to the Unsere Menschen now that basic services had been restored.
* * *
Alex strolled into the Station Manager’s offices. The young assistant jumped up to greet him and ushered him into Hezekiah’s office. He bumped into the office’s doorway while attempting to get a second look at Étienne as he passed.
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