025. Are you not entertained?
Huu considered the situation.
He had a month left before the cycle ended, one third of three months, and he still had profits, billions of profits.
Dammit.
He was shocked.
Bamboozled.
Flabbergasted.
Just where the hell was...
Oh, right.
The sales.
He tapped his forehead, right, stop overthinking it you idiot.
It's all the sales you're making.
A consistent inflow of profits.
He was on Furillo and had a week before he started on the journey back to Blackjack.
He wanted to go back now, as soon as possible, but the dropship was booked for the next week. He couldn't just change his appointment, right? What if he hurt the feelings of the dropship crew by implying he didn't want to travel with them?
Uh, he knew he was socially awkward.
But nobody here knew and nobody would be saying anything about it.
Perfect.
Anyway.
He didn't want to tell anyone he was cancelling, which left him with a week left here.
A week where he was spending his own money!
His losses! All of them were being eaten away!
Damn you Furillo for having so many delicious take-away restaurants!
Damn you for your subscription services!
All of it was eating away at his money!
After all, when he got something for himself, he had to get some for his bodyguards as well, it would be awkward if he ate, and they had nothing... right?
Dammit system.
++ Host is on holiday. Host cannot use System Funds for a holiday, that is not the way of a True Tycoon. ++
Yeah, screw you too, system.
Rubbing Voidy's head... shell... whatever it was, he tried to think of his next course of action.
He was earning constant inflows that needed to be matched with constant outflows.
How did one consistently lose money?
Hmmmm.
Wait, he had the documents that had come through regarding Tolsand Warworks! He could do some data analysis!
Using his superior brain to work out what it was he needed to do to lose the most money, as a real tycoon does!
Getting up, accepting an angry nip from Voidy for disrupting his/her...it's(?) nap (did it even sleep?), the desperate tycoon made his way over to the bedroom.
On the floor were a pile of books, a pile of documents, another pile of books, clean clothes he was going to war in the future, dirty clothes he needed to wash, socks he was going to put on again but forgot... and ah. The correct pile of documents!
Opening it up, his eyes nearly went cross-eyed.
Right.
He had forgotten the reason why he didn't do the whole maths thing.
Being diagnosed with dyscalculia had made it... uh... difficult when it came to things with mathematics.
Numbers would swing together, merge, and come out with absolutely random results, right before his eyes. A blink and it would all change again.
Right.
Shit.
That was a problem.
Ummmm.
Biggest numbers, biggest numbers, where were the biggest losses?
Carefully poring over the papers, Huu asked himself exactly why everything had been printed out. Exactly why had he done this?
Oh right, he had forgotten he hated the digital option. Why were screens so small? Everything was handheld, what the hell was that, where were his big screens and desktop PCs? Using the System provided device had him asking if his eyes were burning out from the strain.
Grrrr.
So paper it was, so his normal, human-sized eyes could read.
Eyes that continued to scan before he realised that these documents were all labelled.
Labelled 'future concerns', right, wrong page.
Outgoings! That was what he was looking for.
Eyes revolving again and... ah.
Employee wages and benefits.
Company cafeterias... lost so much money?
Employee transportation fees?
Employee rental assistance?
Employee insurance... wait, no, he had to pay that as standard. On the other hand... going above and beyond with the best insurance package possible would cost billions.
Absolutely billions.
Perfect!
So many different ways to spend on his employees.
He remembered those threads on Reddit now, the memories coming to the forefront of his mind.
Employees were the most expensive part of a business, cutting down their costs was how real businessmen made profits.
Those business giants clearly knew what they were talking about. The solution was to do the opposite of what the experts said.
If they were going to cut employee wages and benefits to make profits, he had to increase them to make losses!
He was already providing benefits to Eggers Armaments, but he could increase those... and give them to everyone else as well!
Perfect.
Hmmmm.
Something denominator, something nominator... um. Right!
If there were more employees... wouldn't that mean that there would be more avenues to lose money?
Absolutely genius.
He had to get to Glory now, get her to increase all the benefits and pay as much as possible!
...
System?
++ True Tycoons share their benefits with their employees. Only by ensuring happy employees does a True Tycoon do business! ++
Right.
...
If the System was recommending it... wouldn't it be a way for him to be making profits? This was the System he was talking about.
No. No.
This wasn't time to overthink matters.
Eggers Armaments was doing all of it anyway, and the System hadn't punished him for spending the money.
Now wasn't the time to overthink matters, he had to spread the benefits out to everyone under the umbrella.
He had to get the benefits package out as fast as possible! There was still a month left in the cycle, and he needed to lose all his money and fast!
After that, he had to figure out where all this money was coming from. Eggers Construction was the largest source of the stuff, but that couldn't be all right?
Glory hadn't updated him on the newest stuff... but where the hell was all this money coming from!?
System! Why can't you show me what I need?
++ A True Tycoon can keep track of money flows in their minds. Host must aspire to be a True Tycoon. ++
Yeah, yeah, screw you too System.
He had to get back to Blackjack as soon as possible. It was where all his businesses (except Tolsand Warworks) were located, and where he could identify losses best.
Out here on Furillo, he was swinging in the dark and had no idea what was going on. His instructions at the very least would mean he would lose money.
He had planned that much!
He also had to send out the next message, all projects except for research needed to be finished within the month! No starting new ones without permission!
+_+
On Solaris, there was often a single truth.
The more entertaining a fight, the more money you would make.
The more unique your design, the more the audience would be attracted to it.
After all, everyone loves an underdog.
As it had been, as it was, as it will ever be.
Mankind loved spectacle, and if that spectacle involved an underdog? Well, how much time did you have today because we're going to waste all of it.
Into this stepped Anton Tolsand, head of Tolsand Warworks, sitting in one of the 'industry' boxes. Ready for those in the Weapons industry to better observe their weapons or tools in action. The data centres in these rooms superior to everything but the very highest VIP rooms. Comparable, in some ways, to weapons testing equipment back at their factories.
Five Locust 1VPs were about to start a Team Battle with 5 medium to heavy mechs.
The opposing mechs had not been revealed, this was meant to be an exhibition battle and his Locusts were about to make themselves visible on the stage of the Inner Sphere.
The pilots were the best that could be hired, cost being no object.
Having spent the month travelling to Solaris, drilling constantly in the simulators he had provided, and then drilling constantly in their mechs upon landing. Working themselves ragged to ensure that every aspect of the LCT-1VP was understood. That they could pilot one as if it were like eating a sandwich.
Always toast, always cut triangles, always work your way around the crust, and then into the delectable centre.
This was the way.
Working as a team, the five had developed their skills and tactics whilst 'sparring' with the best pilots he could afford in a variety of medium/heavy/assault mechs. He needed the absolute best performance out of them, and money was of no consequence in that pursuit.
All of this meant that he had invested tens of millions into this venture with pilots alone, let alone the Locusts, the travel times, the simulators.
All for this one moment of truth.
Like a man about to bite into a fully marbled armoured bear steak, specially imported from New Kyoto, he was about to have his moment of clarity.
To test, whether the price was worth it, worth the money, the wait.
He shuddered slightly remembering the glorious sensation of that armoured bear steak.
Focus.
"In the blue corner, we have Tolsand Warworks newest Locus variant! The newest standard variant of a mech in the over a century! ~booo~ Yes yes, I know there are other variants, but this is a Locust, the most cuddly mech in the Inner Sphere! ~booo~"
The announcer was riling the crowd up, setting them against the Locust Team.
Which was...
Slightly worrying, but victory would turn all opinions around, it was just a matter of making sure it was a victory.
The momentum of public opinion could swing both ways after all.
Having done everything he could at the moment, now was the time to sit back and watch everything fall into place. To see if his mise en place was sufficient, if the preparations were thorough.
The soup was on simmer, now was the wait.
"In the red corner we have the Challengers! Two Catapults, one Thunderbolt, one Rifleman, and one Atlas! Ready to challenge the world!"
Tolsand gripped the armrest of the chairs.
This wasn't what had been planned at all!
+_+
Sille M. Villadsen nee Mardsen was carefully establishing the camera. Her Cameraman was elsewhere, recording the pit crew of Tolsand Warworks' stable. Recently established, but already making waves with the sheer scale of their investment into the generally stable Solaris environment.
She was here right now with Anton Tolsand, renowned gourmand. He was, in fact, more famous for his palette than his majority stake in a Mech production line.
Granted, that was likely because it was a light mech line. This being the Lyran Commonwealth, but these were still battlemechs that they were speaking of.
"How do you feel right now? Five of the lightest Battlemechs in the Inner Sphere against a heavy lance?"
The man mopped his brow with a handkerchief and breathed out.
"I am confident in the tools that we have prepared for this conflict, in the hands of the best pilots that we have been able to find. The odds are in our favour." He said, trying to look confident.
The presence of the Atlas had shocked him, as it would her viewers when they saw the vid for the first time. His worry was present on his face, captured by the camera, but his attempt at presenting a firm face would win him fans.
Sympathy, a weapon of the competent reporter.
Hearing about the plan for a light/medium exhibition match, getting instead what was a planned beat down by whoever had done this last minute switch. Bribing the organisers was certainly an expensive venture.
"But you're confident that your men and women can pull a win out?"
"Absolutely. This Solaris stable was funded by Huu Eggers of Eggers General Utilities. He is confident, and so I am confident."
Straightening up, it was if new life had been breathed into the man.
Sille grinned, the camera couldn't see it of course, but they could hear her voice.
"There you have it, the faith of Huu Eggers is enough for a man to cheer five light mechs against a heavy lance!"
He gave a weak smile before turning back to the monitor, the intrepid reporter following his gaze.
The commentator had been giving commentary on the loadout of the different machines, the catapults going with their standard systems, the locusts meanwhile, were using retro-technology.
The contrast was clear and obvious.
"And here we goooooooo. First to death or disarm!"
The arena was two kilometres wide, an enormous circle filled with various ruins to keep the fight interesting. Everyone would be forced into close combat, favouring the heavier lances. Brawling battles which drew in the most viewers and made mince of lighter lances.
The group favourites was obviously the heavier lance.
A notion that was soon shaken.
A Locust climbed to the top of a building and fired a single salvo of four shells at the approaching Thunderbolt. Waiting until they were at the 1.6 kilometre maximum range before starting to snipe.
The 250 kilograms of damage, a quarter of a ton of armour lost per salvo.
The Thunderbolt clearly realised the danger as a chunk of its torso took damage and moved into cover. The rest of the team following suit as they stopped their confident, swaggering gait. Realising that none of their weapons could strike from that range, they had lost the initiative.
Trying to peak out left them exposed, yet it was their only option, trading damage for distance. Doing otherwise would have created an extremely boring match, possibly even losing them sponsors for their cowardice.
In the end, when the available covered pathways had been exhausted, the heavy lance waited, formulating a plan while protected.
Always trying to balance spectacle and effectiveness.
Perfect for team Locust
On the overall layout, the opposing team began to shift, demonstrating their professionalism. Adjusting to the sniper situation by drawing fire with their Atlas and Rifleman as the Catapults and Thunderbolt began to shift forward. Unfortunately for them, they had been divided. Using the standard formation of staying ninety or so metres from each other, preventing stray shots hitting those to their left or right... had instead resulted in them being split up and isolated.
The lance of 4 Locusts moved rapidly in a clockwise rotation.
The first target was a Catapult.
Identifying inbound targets, the opposing lance reoriented, yet they could only get two different sets of eyes on their soon to be assaulted colleague by the time the Locusts arrived.
Taking accurate fire from the Locust sniper the entire time.
The Catapult without half his support tried to move backwards, its brace of close range weaponry insufficient for four mechs, even if it was four light mechs.
The close-in camera caught the skirmish on camera, broadcasting it out to Solaris city, into the records to be sent out by HPG. The high definition vids coming out later through jumpship.
On the screens, the Locusts rounded the corner, having located the Locust due to their sniper/spotter.
Bulling forward and surrounding the Catapult, keeping the bulk of its body in between them and its allies, the four LCT-IVPs rapid fired their quad pom-pom guns into its legs. Realising its mistake, the Catapult tried to move, being stuck stationary ensuring that all ten shells, from four guns, from four locusts, 160 shells altogether slammed into its legs.
80 damage per leg.
Shattering armour and internal structure in a single burst.
Legless, the machine collapsed to the ground, unable to continue fighting, a bright yellow light shining down from the overhead dome. For the hapless machine, the fight was over, to fire on it further was to invite disqualification.
Understanding this, the locusts were already in motion, the four light mechs making use of their speed to push forward, hunting for the next mech hiding from their sniper.
The opposing lance, perhaps not understanding the sheer threat that the quick firing 2-pdr pom-poms represented. The sniper's slow rate of fire had certainly been misleading, the annihilation of the Catapult's legs over so fast that they may still be in shock.
If they had been aware of the threat, they would have moved forward. Accepted the damage and taken the battle on their own terms. Five mechs against four mechs, where their strength of armour and firepower would make quick work of the lighter machines.
Instead, they treated the sniper as a serious threat, not understanding it was the lesser threat in this battle.
The cycle repeated, like swarming minnows, tearing apart one's feet with their tiny teeth. Tearing them apart, one by one, until one remembered, that sure, feet are just part of one's legs... but without them, one could not stand up. The pool filled with blood, red, dripping.
No Sille.
Focus.
The entire lance was destroyed by the end of the battle, the limitations of the platform revealed towards the end as two of the Locusts had been crippled.
Yet, they were victorious.
The final sally being something legendary, she was sure, the four Locusts and their support standing up to a Thunderbolt and Atlas. Brawling in an open field, the light mechs ducking and weaving, using their numbers to confuse the two much larger machines.
With no cover in the centre, it had been all about their piloting, demonstrating the skills of both sides.
One Locust collapsed under the direct fire of the heavier machines. The Thunderbolt was stripped of its weapons soon after, the Atlas avenging the loss before, it too, fell.
In the end, there were three light mechs left, victorious.
Sille caught the last moment on camera. Two of the Locusts standing on top of the Atlas' wreck, battered. Armour pitted and showing the structure underneath in many places.
One limping heavily, yet triumphant.
"And we have our victors! The Locusts have it! Triumphing over an Atlas, a Thunderbolt, a Rifleman, and two Catapults! Is there anything the Locust cannot do!?"
Sille grinned, perfect.
"Duke Tolsand, how do you feel about this victory? Your Locusts have defeated a lance, where one mech weights the same as your entire force!"
"Satisfaction. I feel immense satisfaction. Huu Eggers' vision has been proven correct, my vision has been proven."
Perfect. Now, then, for part 2 of this.
Sille M. Villadsen nee Mardsen would be famous!
+_+
Chisaki Nagao, in her position as head of Eggers Media had been pushing the main 'line' of media for a while now. The idea of the Jaeger, the haptic feedback system, the use of giant machines.
Everything that would prime the Commonwealth for... well, she didn't know.
Huu Eggers had asked her to do so, she had done so, and had been wondering what the point of it all was. The Commonwealth had an obsession with heavy mechs to be sure. But a Jaeger was at least decades away, if not centuries.
That is, until information regarding the Smialy had been passed over through internal company lines.
The design of a Militiamech, an ultra-light, of 5 tons. One that featured a large tube that one stood inside, the movement of their limbs, controlling the limbs of the machine itself.
An... ultra light mech it might be... but one that would allow every citizen of the Commonwealth to feel the excitement of piloting a Jaeger, as small and ilight as it was. The control system was the same, the sheer visceral feel of it visible through the prototyping recordings.
Suddenly, the media blitz that she had been driving made sense.
The fact that it was Eggers Armaments producing or licensing the machine also made sense. The sale of guns to the planetary militia had been successful, yes. But anyone could get the designs and the market would soon be saturated after a year of sales.
Eggers Armaments had been establishing factories across the Commonwealth using the reach of the Interstellar Association of Machinists to find professionals to staff these factories. The sales were soon to be capped, there would be a limit after everyone that wanted a gun could get one. Further, exporting the weapons was not worth it, the shipping fees alone would significantly cut into their margins.
Yet, a cheap 5 ton mech that could be easily assembled by anyone with tools? Stacked high like cargo? Usable by anyone without concern of neurohelmet compatibility? There was a shortage of Mechwarriors in the Inner Sphere, that would not be true in a year.
It would be a guaranteed moneymaker across the known galaxy.
From a few words, Huu Eggers had managed to combine the might of Eggers Armaments, Eggers Media, Eggers Education, Eggers Defence Force, and Tolsand Warworks to create this marvel of engineering.
It was in the prototyping stage now, but in a month? In a month, they would begin marketing. Using the sheer interest that Pacific Rim generated to drive the momentum. In six months, hopefully they would be able to begin sales.
The other sticking point, that may have been, was that of the weapon itself. A 'heavy rifle' from her understanding. Primitive, blocky. Not at all as elegant as an autoloader equipped AC/10.
And yet, Defiance Industries had come through.
The rest of the Commonwealth's arms manufacturers had also ridden the wave of retro-tech, understanding that with the decline of technology, perhaps it would be a good idea to replace some of the higher tech weapons with retro weapons.
Replacing the PPC in some mothballed designs with that of several Heavy Rifles. Or a series of Retro light rifles. Analysing the secrets of why light calibre WW2 ammunition was more effective than modern ammunition was still ongoing from her understanding.
This had culminated in the release of the Manticore Tank variant, replacing the PPC with three 105mm guns. Arriving to market a week after the Locust 1VP. Boasting the same range with the same targeting computers, it could deliver higher sustained rate of fire, with the same level of crew safety. The ammunition being stuck outside the tank due to the hasty nature of the retrofit.
The same system had been used with the Rifleman, produced by Red Devil Industries and Trellshire Heavy Industries. Replacing the AC/10s and Large Lasers with a battery of 105mm retro cannons. Doing the same damage profile as a Heavy Rifle, as with those in found in the Periphery, the arrangement of four cannons on each side of the side torsos. Autoloader and ammunition to the rear of the guns. It had found itself demonstrated to great success on Solaris.
Annihilating a series of different opponents due to its unrelenting fire and lack of heat management issues due to its external mounting. The first few matches had seen considerable confusion from contestants.
At three tons for each gun, including the autoloader, the system had been seeing considerable success on the Solaris circuit. Hitting enemy mechs from much greater distances than that which they were used to, the Rifleman's issue of overheating no longer as much of a concern. Ammunition dependency however was a problem...
But Chisaki didn't really care about that.
What she did care about, was that there was a retro-tech revival. The major industrial players were getting in on it... and they had truly enormous marketing arms of their businesses to sell this change in their product lines. Which would spread the idea far and wide, enough that when the Smialy would be introduced in the upcoming month, it would do so to an Inner Sphere primed to accept a machine based entirely (save for myomers and the structure) on retrotech.
The following five months of advertising before it sale would be intense. After all, this wasn't a machine being produced in the double digits per year. This was a machine that would be treated like a family car, one in every household!
Already Chisaki was using the footage of Tolsand's Warworks to produce a documentary, Sille M. Villadsen nee Mardsen lending her iconic voice and profile to the production. Following her through the factory on Furillo, then to the Solaris stable, to the triumphant match with five Locusts, and then the aftermath.
Eggers Media would be like an assassin, or a rogue or skirmisher in those old games that were being re-released. Allowing the heavy weights to slam open the gaps, that she could then exploit.
They wouldn't hate her for it, they were aiming to exploit different markets after all. Indeed, it would be synergistic.
It would also work for her ultimate goal.
The annihilation of the Combine.
When one's culture was supported by actual physical proof of your superiority... it would be just that more convincing.
We are already on the road to Jaegers, where are you?
Already, the Combine was splintering.
Already, the Warlords were questioning their role in this decaying edifice to failure.
Already, she was that much closer to accomplishing her goals.
She was merely waiting for the killing blow that Huu no doubt was preparing.
He had already proven himself a master of long term strategic thought.