"He's got a $4 billion contract for a union-busting mining robot, has mortgaged nearly half of his land parcel and used that cash to buy a steel foundry, a damn fleet of ten cement trucks and a cement factory. The number of subsidiaries and corporate accounts I have to manage now is turning into a damn full-time job! And now he's got me drafting an NDA that's tighter than most gag-orders, and a corporate dress-code that's more Draconian than some military regulations! I'm telling you Abel, Aaron's turning into a megalomaniac or probably something worse!" growled Andre, as he sat in the secluded booth of a bar, nursing a drink with Father Abel beside him.
"It is indeed troubling, but quite understandable given his previous experiences." said Father Abel as he examined the contract and NDA Andre had brought with him.
"Don't tell me you are encouraging this behavior?!" gasped Andre.
"Of course not! However, I am intrigued by it. I'm sure Aaron will cut some slack once he finds out nobody in their right mind would work for him under these conditions." said Father Abel.
"And I suppose you don't think nuclear reactors, vertical integration and mining uranium with a lead mining permit - all so that he can build and power his video game studio HQ by the way - are problems." grumbled Andre.
"Well I'm sure they'll be quite useful during the Apocalypse." chuckled Father Abel.
"You can laugh about it! Harry, James and Mario seem to be completely under Aaron's spell. They enthusiastically agreed with his design ideas. It's like he's some kind of super-villain." grumbled Andre.
"It's the same reason people like Lex Luthor Andre. Aaron's temperament may be like a super-villain, but he's only 17 and nothing he's done, is outside the law. Even the Uranium isn't being actively mined and processed yet. He knows where the line is. I'm confident in his abilities." said Father Abel.
"So what? We just let him indulge in his super-villain fantasy?" asked Andre.
"For the moment. It's not hurting anyone yet, and you could have simply refused to draft these if you felt they were harmful." said Father Abel gesturing to the documents.
"Well, I kind of agree with them except for the dress code. I've seen way too many companies implode because of stupid stuff employees say and do online" growled Andre.
"And there you have it. Aaron's demands are well within reason, the dress code is a bit behind the times, but there are going to be people who would appreciate it" said Father Abel.
----
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" growled Andre as he surveyed the newly built mining robot factory.
The featureless concrete building had a long conveyor belt, and rows of robotic arms were assembling the mining robots with eerie precision, while a handful of technicians monitored the assembly line from a control room, and a few more tested and inspected the finished robots.
"Please tell me that you didn't borrow billions just to buy all those robotic arms" he said wearily, looking at Aaron.
"I've got them on a 3-year lease for now, but I intend to replace them with fully bought ones once profits start coming in." said Aaron with a petulant sigh.
"Even leasing so many assembly bots would have easily cost you all of Friedrich's $400 million installment." growled Andre, looking at the factory assembly line with disbelief.
"How else was I supposed to ramp production for ten thousand units?" snapped Aaron in annoyance.
"When you told Friedrich that you'll be able to ramp production to 100 units a month. I assumed you'd be using assembly line workers. This robotic plant of yours is perfectly capable of producing over ten times that number in a month. And you're not even giving Congressman DuPont his jobs!" shot back Andre.
"Hey Collins! Tell this ignoramus what you're doing and how much I'm paying you!" yelled Aaron to one of his technicians.
"Certainly, Master Zakhrov! I'm being paid $400,000 a year just to keep my mouth shut and to manage and maintain the drill assembly robots. Couldn't ask for a sweeter deal!" called back Collins.
Aaron turned back to Andre.
"I'm creating high-skill high-value jobs which better suit engineering grads from MIT and other colleges across the state, rather than just grunt work that can be better done by machines anyway.
Plus, this factory was built by local firms Harry contracted, and I've also got James supervising HVAC technicians and other various high-skill contract jobs.
Now. If you're done whining about my methods. Get DuPont to get me a titanium import license, as well as an export license for these mining robots, and tell Friedrich that he can expect the delivery of the first 1000 robots by the end of the month." he commanded coldly.
"Fine." growled Andre through gritted teeth, fighting down the urge to slug Aaron.
"And Andre. The next time you openly question me, you're fired as Sirius Software's legal counsel. Air your grievances to me in private. Not on the factory floor." said Aaron in a voice like ice, before turning on his heel and walking out of the factory.
----
Michael sat nervously in the small office that Aaron now practically lived in.
It had been just a short year since Aaron had wrestled a lead mining permit and water rights from him, and he could barely recognize the abandoned mine and languishing industrial parcel he had sold to Aaron.
The perimeter was surrounded by an absurdly high and thick concrete wall, topped with barbed wire and electric fencing.
A nearly 400 meter long concrete robotic assembly plant had been built, and a steady stream of delivery trucks with shipping containers were moving in and out of a large warehouse that had been built next to the assembly plant.
A few smaller trucks loaded with lead ore were leaving the mine complex, and a couple of cement trucks were parked near a new construction site.
The truck checkpoints themselves had retracting spike strips to prevent unauthorized entry and exit, as well as multiple massive sliding gates.
"If you're here for campaign funding, I'm afraid I don't have the cash to spare. I'm reinvesting almost everything into my enterprises." said Aaron coldly as he entered the office.
"Fortunately for you, I'm not here for that. I just came by to drop off a couple of things that you might find appealing." chuckled Michael, handing Aaron a thick folder of documents.
Excitement flashed in Aaron's eyes as he flipped through the documents.
They were an amendment to his lead mining license that granted him mineral rights to any additional ore that was found in the mine, including Uranium and other radioactive ores.
A heavy water import and production license, and a Federal nuclear reactor construction and operations license.
"These are all signed and approved by the Feds. I had to grease a few palms, but it was worth it." said Michael, looking at Aaron with a satisfied smile.
"Excellent! I will have my lawyer look over them, but why the change of heart?" asked Aaron, setting aside the documents.
"Let's just say that the enemy of my enemy is now my friend.
Your moves have pissed off a lot of my rivals and opponents, while giving me some upwardly mobile and very happy constituents. So if I can get more of the same stuff out of you, then this will be the start of a wonderful relationship." chuckled Michael wryly.
He wasn't bluffing. Aaron's rapid construction push and ongoing logistics had pumped new economic energy into the entire constituency, with truckers, construction workers and Aaron's new employees patronizing the local businesses.
While Sirius Software attracted the white-collar engineering talent, truck stops, restaurants and other businesses were able to retain or even hire more blue-collar work.
It had taken some spin doctoring and strategic investments, but Michael was able to ride that economic wave of support to stay in office and get on energy committees.
At the same time, his opponents who ran on clean energy and sustainability agendas were seething as they were boxed in by demands from the mining unions to get the lead mine fully reopened so that they could grab a piece of the action instead of the limited automated extraction Aaron was doing, and by their supporters and backers calling for the complete closure and sealing off of the same lead mine.
This deadlock, combined with Aaron's heavy security measures made organized protesting or disruption of operations impossible.
More than that, Aaron had managed to sell his retractable spike strip innovation to the military, which was now eagerly deploying them in their military bases, because the serrated titanium spikes could stop anything short of a tank or assault vehicle with steel tracks.
"We'll still need to hide the reactor, at least until I can get enough clout to get the Feds to green-light a reactor in my jurisdiction, but I foresee no further difficulties" he told Aaron.
"That's good. Mario has informed me that the prototype is almost complete. We should be able to go critical next month, provided I get the initial charge of heavy water. Then I'll be selling power, not buying it." replied Aaron.
"Well you managed to blitz through the first battle, but America's ideological and cultural war is far from over. So be on your guard OK?" warned Michael, getting up to leave.
"I will, and thank you, Michael" said Aaron, shaking his hand.