The Living and the Damned - Part XI
02 Jan 2018Jellicoe
Claire Dock had changed dramatically over the past year; the shabby, scruffy ill maintained edifice of the recent past was unrecognisable in the gleaming, high tech temple that now hung in orbit of Tjakiri 1. Nor was the new look confined to the exterior, the docking bay was similarly impressive, renovated almost completely into a sleek, stylish facility that would not have shamed the core worlds.. Perhaps the biggest changes though became visible once one reached the commercial district, gone were the dilapidated, rubbish strewn streets, the broken windows, dingy bars and grubby ill stocked shops replaced by clean, bright boulevards, stylish cafe's, chic boutiques and bright shop and business frontages the odd one with a familiar Federation corporate logo."Did you ever think to see our great corporations make a deal with the devil himself if there was a profit in it?" Vik spat in disgust.
"After what we've seen in the last year the only thing that surprises me is that you thought they wouldn't." Jellicoe replied with a grim chuckle
Even the people had changed in this part of the station, gone were the desperate drug or alcohol addled wrecks so common on their last visit, even the swaggering leather clad Pegasi clansmen were all but gone replaced by sharp suited professionals and aspirational white collar workers all watched over by a legion of black clad 'security' men.
They entered the restaurant where they were to meet their contact, an establishment so out of place with the common perception of the Pegasi as to almost defy belief. Soft chamber music floated across the room from a string quartet who would have graced anywhere in Sol or Achenar while the room was dominated by a vast aquarium around which the tables were arranged. Such a feature would have impressed in the core, out here it seemed an unimaginable extravagance.
"Investment's clearly coming in," Claude said as they took in the room. "Let's hope they're interested enough in ours to tell us what we want to know."
Carlton McKinley sat back in his chair, took a sip of his aperitif and looked approvingly at his dinner guests. Yes he thought to himself, men like these were the future not the pirate lords and robber barons with their superstitions, blood oaths and glorification of violence for its own sake; sure some of them were impressive figures. awesome in the truest sense of the word but they were very unreliable, yes the wealth they acquired could be vast but even that hulking creature of Marra's could count on the fingers of his claw hand the number who lived to see forty. Let such people be consigned to the past, lauded in songs and stories and old men and women lamenting the 'good old days' while he and others like him directed the future, and he had that future mapped out; he would use the unique advantages of the Pegasi to attract foreign investment, free from the expensive social programmes of the Federation or the stultifying tradition of the Empire capital would pour in. He would transform Black Omega into an economic powerhouse which in turn would pave his way to the boardroom and when, sadly, Don de Verre finally passed away then the corporate money men would swing their weight behind the man they could work with, that they could trust to be his successor. Let Morgan, Locke and the rest beat their chests at each other and play their games of war, it was money that made this galaxy go round and the men he was hosting that evening were part of that. Money men looking to invest, representatives of some high powered businesswoman forced from the Alliance awash with credits to invest, and bigger fish would follow when word got out, indeed as soon as this absurd Galactic Railroad were dealt with he planned a campaign to market Black Omega space as the ideal place to invest, business liked strength and stability and he would offer that, he smiled, perhaps he had just hit on a slogan.
"May I ask what attracted you gentlemen to the Pegasi?" Carlton asked as the groups starters were cleared away.
"There are many things that make Tjakiri an attractive place to do business Mr McKinley," The groups leader, a tall man in an immaculately tailored suit replied after dabbing his lips with a napkin. "Low taxes, very little regulatory red tape and no apparent, how can I put this, labour relations difficulties. If you can provide the facilities and staff we need I can see no reason not to strongly recommend locating here."
"I'm sure we can accommodate your needs Mr Jellicoe, just what line of business are you in?"
"Xeno-biological research, with what's happening in the Pleiades our projections suggest it being a very profitable sector in the near future."
"Lab facilities and equipment should be no problem at all, just tell me what you need and I'll get a quote together. Staff might be a little more dificult, senior research chiefs anyway. No chance of existing staff relocating?"
"Core worlds staff expect core worlds wages," Jellicoe said with a smile, "and cutting those particular costs is one of Black Omega's biggest attractions, are you sure you have no personnel with the skills we require? I thought Claire Dock was developing its high tech sector?"
"You must remember we're still at an early stage of our development, we are recruiting but it takes time." McKinley said with his best reassuring smile.
"I thought you already had some significant bio-research programmes in existence, or are the rumours about the end of the Nijkas war a complete invention?" Jellicoe replied lighting a cigar.
"That's all been completely denied Mr Jellicoe," McKinley answered uncomfortably, "and I'd suggest not saying too much on that score around here, not all our leadership are as..." He searched for the right word. "Progressive as I am about outsiders."
"Mr McKinley if you can provide my investor with what she wants I really don't give a damn if you gun down your own people on the streets of this very station, and there are a number of other potential investors waiting to see what kind of reception we get before considering setting up here, now in view of that could I see the CV's of and astro or xeno-biologists you employ?"
McKinley shifted awkwardly in his chair, it wasn't allowed but a lot of money could be riding on this, maybe even his dreams of the future for himself and the firm. Ambition warred with fear and, as it usually did in men like Carlton McKinley ambition won.
"What I'm about to show you is confidential, I can't let you have a copy but I will let you see in here." McKinley activated his PDA and the first profile appeared.
"I understand Mr McKinley," Jellicoe replied glancing at Claude whose almost imperceptible nod told him this was being recorded. "Trust I find is the most vital commodity in business, and now we have established that I'm sure we can look forward to a long and profitable relationship."
"I don't understand it." Jellicoe exclaimed back aboard the Resolution. "None of the people on McKinley's list are biologists, most of them a barely even scientists. They've got Mhera but they're not using her, why?"
"Three possibilities," Claude replied, "Either she's dead, they don't know her qualifications or she's refusing to work for them."
"Whatever it is it puts us back to square one," Vik put in, "What now?"
"We have McKinley's tour of their research facility to look forward to," Jellicoe said with a snort of sarcastic laughter, "After that I really don't know."