Chapter Six

Heliat

Aurigan Reach

June 25, 3023

I am relieved as we have made it back to the Zenith jump point safely. Father is signing off on the contract with Captain Bosh including all the bonuses for a job well done. We are hoping this will buy us some leeway in the privacy department. Sooner or later the information about what was seen on board the Scythe will get out. The longer it takes the better for us, as it will paint a target on our backs. Soon we will take the Styx down to pickup our remaining employees and load up our supplies.

With Captain Maria Martinez at the Helm we begin our transit to Heliat. My father and I have been going over the cargo manifest so that I know what is stored on each dropship and where it is located. When in private on board the Vault he has been providing me descriptions of the future mechs and their technology so that I know what I am dealing with. I have to pretend I don't know most of what he is telling me, but I am learning some new information during the discussions.

Having grounded at the Heliat space port I find myself in charge of collecting our employees and ensuring the supplies etc. get loaded.

But before I do that I need to find Mastiff as we need to pilot our mechs on board so that they can be secured as cargo until they can be transferred to the Scythe. With father off closing the deal with Duke Fiteni and Captain Martinez supervising the refueling. I head out in search of Mastiff.

After Mastiff and I positioned our mechs to be secured we worked together to make sure everything was loaded and all our people were on board Including mother and my parents luggage. It took several busy hours but we are ready to boost for the jump point. I spent the return trip discussing what we would tell our people with my father or discussing how the military side of things will be handled with Mastiff.

Having docked with the Ferryman and with the cargo and personal settled, my father calls for a meeting to be held in in a cargo bay on the Styx. I am standing slightly back from and to the right of my father as he apologizes for the inconvenience of meeting in the cargo hold.

"Thank you all for coming to this meeting am sorry we could not hold elsewhere but this is the only area large enough to hold everyone for this meeting."

"Thank you for your patience, my son and I appreciate all that you have done for us. As some of you have guessed I have been aware of the ships and their cargo for over twenty years. It has taken me that long to assemble the personnel and resources necessary to accomplish what we have done over the last few weeks. I know there have been rumors about LosTech being amongst the cargo. The rumors are true, which unfortunately paints a big target on us. We ask that you keep quiet about this for the safety of us all. I have had a sphere wide corporation created with the name of Warrior Arms and all the assets are legally owned either directly or through its subsidiary the Reapers an MRBC sanctioned mercenary unit. With that being said you know the scope of the contracts you have signed with those two entities. Over the years I have been returning to the ships to recover equipment for use or sale as well as learning what I could about all of this." My father gestures to indicate the dropships and Jumpship and then has to pause to regain control in zero-g before continuing.

"Almost all of the LosTech is locked away on the Behemoth which we have named the Vault. This is for both security and the fact we can not make use of it unless there is an emergency. This was decided due to the fact we have no way to repair the equipment as there are no spare parts available. There were none on board for anything other than the ships themselves. The plan moving forward is to make our way to Andurien to pick up two more Stingray fighters and enough spare parts for the four of them. We will be stopping to trade along the way and will be looking to recruit additional personnel to fill out the available positions and increase our security force. If you have any suggestions in this regard please forward them through your leaders. We are in desperate need to source spares and supplies for our mechs, a list will be handed out for you to look over. Once we reach Andurien, my wife and I will be leaving you to take a well-deserved vacation tour of the stars. My son Rick will take ownership and responsibility for the company at that time. For now, get settled in and prepare to jump to Guldra where we will stock up on food. Once again thank you all"

With the meeting concluded I make my way to the bridge and take a spot out of the way to observe our first jump. Luckily, I am not affected by TDS or my life would soon be unbearable as we have 10 jumps to Andurien and then 12 jumps to Helm. I am going to have a lot of idle time on my hands what with the typical recharge time between jumps being 7.5 days.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 discontinuity!

We have safely arrived somewhere now I just have to wait for them to confirm, yes, we are in the right place. Father has just asked the communications officer to send the prepared message with our purchase request / want list and the list of equipment we have available for sale. Now what did we agree on again? Let me think, Vindicator 1R @ 3.1mil, Scorpion 1N @ 5mil, Dragon 1N @ 5mil, Charger 1A1 at 7.5mil, Demolisher @ 2.1mil, and an Ontos @ 2.2mil. I better make my way to the Styx to get ready to launch.

Having grounded at the spaceport I make my way to the cargo bay where I find my Chameleon strapped down in front of the exterior hatch along with the Manticores. My self and the tank crews inspect and prepare our machines while the bay crew releases them. As soon as the heat from landing has dissipated, we will disembark to provide protection for the Styx.

My father and Captain Maria Martinez have arranged a meeting with a representative from the ruling house Madeira. I hope all goes well so we can complete our business swiftly. We need to keep on the move to avoid any forces attempting to seize our cargo. It is a good thing we are in the periphery frontier as there are few HPG's and not as much attention is paid to the area by significant entities. Rumors of LosTech finds are a dime a dozen out here which should also help confuse the issue.

Having completed my checks and startup sequence, I consult with the bridge on the status outside, getting an "all clear". Stepping forward in anticipation of the bay door opening I find myself anxiously awaiting the events to come. Light begins to filter in through the opening bay door as I fidget in anticipation. It feels good to be on a planet again and in my mech no less. With the bay door down and secure I exit the ship and start my patrol around the Styx. Using my sensors and my Mark 1 eye ball, I confirm all looks clear.

I find myself not so patiently waiting for Kharkov to disembark and position his Manticores so that father, Captain Martinez and the marine escorts can come out in the 'golf cart'. When they do, I take up position fifty meters behind them and proceed to follow them to the terminal.

Arriving at the terminal I watch as they enter making sure to keep an open channel with the marines. The marine kit sure is useful as I can tap into the video and audio feeds from the helmets. This is great for security as well as learning how to handle negotiations, which will be my responsibility to handle soon.

Almost two hours later my ass is going numb but the negotiations are going well. It seems House Madeira is really interested in taking all of the equipment. They are even asking if we have more for sale. I watch and listen as my father proceeds to the washroom.

"Son, what do you think I should do about his request?"

"I say offer him the Mackie 6S at 10mil and your old landing craft at 7mil. We can use the bay for another fighter. I would take partial payment in food and manufactured goods to further our efforts to look like regular traders. As for our asking retail price for used units, remind him how much of a markup is usual out here, plus we are not adding any delivery charges."

I continue my vigil as father makes his proposal and the negotiations continue. Now that I can no longer feel my ass the negotiations have finally concluded. We gave a little on the prices and accepted more food and goods in trade than we wanted but overall, it went well. The exchange will take place tomorrow out side the Styx so both parties can inspect the goods. As for the landing craft we have arranged to have one of their pilots join us on the return flight to the jump point where he can inspect it and fly it back if the deal goes through.

I spend the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow's exchange, although we did arrange for food delivery for the evening meal. With an HPG on planet we decided to keep the crew with the dropship to prevent any information leaks. With the dropship sealed for the night and a squad of marines posted on security duty I head to bed.

The next morning, I am once again sitting in my mech standing guard out on the ferro-crete landing pad. I am no longer as enamored with my mech now that I have to spend hours sitting inside it on alert for treachery. The representative from yesterday has returned with a group of people, most look-like techs to inspect the equipment. I am keeping a close eye on them as they go about their business. At the same time our people are going over the incoming goods to confirm all is as expected.

Father seems to be conducting some last-minute negotiations as we have been offered some spare parts for our Griffin by House Madeira. We have also been approached by a couple of spacers and an aerospace pilot whom we will now have to interview.

The day progressed smoothly and the initial interviews went well so we have arranged to bring the three of them to the jump point for a final interview while the landing craft is being inspected. If we do not hire them, they will be returned to Guldra. Having confirmed the goods are loaded and secured I order our security force and manticores to pull back inside and prepare to launch. I will be the last to board as my mech needs to be secured in front of the hatch.

The return flight was spent learning about the merchant business from my father and Captain Martinez when time permitted. Learning from our previous mistake I radio ahead to the Ferryman to arrange to have the small craft reorganized. I ordered the Battle Taxis moved aboard the Vault and the old landing craft as well as an SA-7 bus moved to the Ferryman's bays. This way we won't have to take outsiders into the Vault.

After arriving at the Ferryman, I find myself sitting in on the fighter pilot's interview with Commander Metcalf. I find It interesting that he was cashiered from the Magistracy armed forces for refusing the advances of his superior officer, apparently men truly are considered second class citizens in the Magistracy of Canopus. Commander Metcalf comes to the end of the interview and looks over to me. I give him a slight nod and then watch as he proceeds to offer the pilot a contract. With that settled I make my way to the bridge to check our status and learn that the landing craft has been sold. It will depart after confirmation of payment via radio.

I plan to spend the next two months learning how to work with the advanced tech from my father along with Master Tech John Baltic as I need to pass the time waiting to recharge in a productive manner. Let me see first up is Itrom followed by Ryan's Fate, Hurik where we enter Capellan territory, Cavalor, Gunthar and finally Turin where we will attempt to trade. We will be maintaining radio silence along the way to make it difficult to track us. Now let see what I should offer up for sale. Being in Capellan space it would probably be best to offer local designs. I have two more Vindicator 1R's, a Scorpion 1N I want to get rid of, a lance of Po tanks but I will only offer up two of them, and a pair of Thrush TR-7 fighters. Plus, the manufactured goods from Guldra.

Two months stuck onboard a tin can is not my idea of fun. At least the time has passed quickly learning about mech engineering and the advanced technologies from father during the days and spending the evenings with both my parents. My father tells me I am naturally gifted when it comes to engineering and understanding the advanced technologies I have been learning about. I think the ROB may have something to do with it, perhaps it is (his?) way of incorporating my heavy metal programs.

Now that we have arrived in the Turin system, I have to send out my greetings and my list of goods for sale / purchase requests.

Having sent the radio message, I find myself waiting on the bridge for a response from Turin. Time delays between communications make interstellar commerce bloody difficult. Getting a positive response, I proceed to prepare for the trade mission while enroute to the planet. I am not in a rush as it will take nine days.

This time I will be in charge of the negotiations and security will be handled by Mastiff as the Scythe will also be making the journey. The MechWarriors need a chance to operate their mechs and being in the Confederacy warrants the extra security.

After landing and getting the all clear from Mastiff, I climb into the 'golf cart' along with Captain Martinez and our marine escorts. We make our way to the designated building to meet with the representative of Lord Frederick von Avon and several local merchants. Entering the building we are met by a group of Asian men and women in traditional Chinese garb. Bowing, I introduce myself.

"Greetings, I am Rick Grimm of Warrior Arms Incorporated and this is Captain Maria Martinez of the Styx and our escorts."

"Greetings, I am Richard Chen and I represent Lord Avon. This is Ms. Lydia Fong and she is from the ministry of export. If you will follow me to the meeting room, we have prepared a light meal for us before negotiations begin."

"Please lead the way and thank you for your hospitality"

We follow Mr. Chen to the room and enjoy our meal. I sure hope we have not been poisoned, but it would have been impolite to refuse.

Having finished the meal, the negotiations begin. Several hours of back and forth offers and counter offers sees all our goods sold and a large quantity of Turin Steer meat purchased. We even managed to make a tidy profit from the sale of the manufactured goods we acquired on Guldra. With the negotiations concluded and arrangements made to exchange the goods in a space port warehouse the next day we return to the Styx.

Once we are back aboard the Styx, Maria and I meet with my father to go over the deals.

After going over the details of the deal with father, I ask them "How did I do?

Maria responds with "Reasonably well but you forgot to negotiate the fees and taxes. As long as they keep to the regular rates, we will be fine"

"That is good to know for next time, I am glad I did not do badly."

The next morning, I watch as the Manticores deploy to protect the Styx while the mechs escort our goods to the warehouse. I follow along in the cart to be present for payment and documentation signatures. I spend the day waiting on inspections and arranging payment details for both incoming and outgoing funds. They managed to surprise me with the additional cost of the refrigerated containers for the meat. Although I can just include them in the price, when we sell the meat or use them ourselves. I think we surprised them with the Manticores going by some of the looks I am getting from the military types.

With the trade mission complete and the dropships refueled it is time to get out of here. I don't like the looks we are getting from some of the people around the space port. I will be glad when we leave this system.