บท 16: A great deal, for us

Sheelal took the guests to an office where he detailed an extensive inventory of products not included in the previous presentation. This included specialist droids for medical situations, equipped with a variety of tools to save many patients on the go and accurately diagnose issues without human error. This caught the interest of Trauma Team, who had already made a bid for 10,000 B2 battle droids to be installed on their AVs. These droids, made from lightweight alloys, allowed three squads of B2 droids to be transported in a single AV.

Sheelal also highlighted that he was a specialist droid created by Kane, designed for absolute statistics and ingrained loyalty. He marketed himself to the numerous negotiators for the T-series tactical droids, which could help reduce inefficiency and identify security hazards. These droids were equipped with a powerful ECM suite that could scramble any netrunner interference with cybernetics. This made everyone present subtly glance at Adam Smasher, who then spoke as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

Adam: "So you got a robot that can read numbers. We've had that for ages. What makes yours so different, huh, whitey?"

Sheelal: "Ah, Mr. Smasher, always with the questions. You see, the T-series tactical droid is not just for that. It can effectively coordinate all Techno Union products. Think of it as a transformer that simplifies complex commands for all involved droids while providing cover by isolating its group in a self-contained network. Any attempt to hack the network through one droid would be pointless, as all droids operate on different networks. Mr. Smasher, we all know what the world thinks of netrunners right now. Messiah has shown that corporations can fall without even being physically present. Would anyone here prefer a human netrunner who can only be awake for a limited time, or a droid that can operate continuously for two weeks, only needing a cell replacement to continue?"

Adam: "A person like Messiah will only last so long. I'm sure every corporation has begun new research into cyber security because of them, so you're selling something to those who won't need it."

Before Sheelal could respond, a hand went up like a child asking to go to the toilet, attracting Sheelal's attention.

Sheelal: "Ah, Mrs. Meredith Stout, yes, what is your question?"

Meredith: "Ah, you know me. Count me surprised. My superiors at Miltech would like a demonstration of this T-series droid against a group of mercenary netrunners. Of course, all of this is not to leave this room."

Sheelal nodded and pressed his wrist, causing a subtle beep. Moments later, a T-series droid emerged alongside an HK droid that had been shadowing his movements. The HK droid instantly locked onto Smasher, and Smasher locked onto the droid. Both seemed to have an unspoken understanding, exchanging an apparent conversation in a few nanoseconds.

Tactical droid: "Greetings, esteemed representatives. I have been called to demonstrate the prowess of my line in the oncoming age of cybersecurity and showcase the Techno Union's great engineering. Allow me to introduce my companion. This droid you see is a Hunter Killer droid, designed exclusively for assassination and bodyguarding protocols. It is equipped with a long-range plasma rifle that can hit a target 25 kilometers away and a prototype weapon that uses plasma in a manner similar to an explosive but fits onto shoulder mounts."

HK: "Greetings, bags of meat. My creator has made me to ensure his grandeur. You shall witness the might of his inventions."

The droid's words shocked everyone inside, except Smasher, who laughed, turning it into a menacing chuckle as he looked towards the HK droid.

Adam: "If your creator is so great, why didn't he come to meet us in person? Too much of a pushover, is he?"

HK: "Affirmation: Obviously, he has more important things to do. Response: He simply can't be bothered with dealing with such uncivilized beings as you. Disappointed: I sometimes wonder how your race produced someone as great as my creator. Truly baffling."

The already tense air seemed to be able to cut through titanium. As this exchange was happening, the tactical droid was calculating the odds and setting up for the bout that was now beginning.

Tactical droid: "With that highly illogical word bout out of the way, we can see that I've set up a task for the so-called runners. They are going to be attacking the main bank account of the Techno Union, where 40 million credits are stored. This should provide great incentive for the mercenaries, who have a 90% chance of fully going after the target for greed and profit."

With the room now fully focused on the battle, Sheelal began to walk around the groups of companies that gravitated towards each other. He first approached Meredith Stout, sitting down next to her and almost reclining his posture.

Sheelal: "Mrs. Stout, my creator is aware of a particular grievance you've had with Arasaka. With the incident being started by Arasaka, we hope that Militech will take this as an opportunity for us both. My creator has made advancements in aquatic droids capable of retrieving anything from a depth of 900 meters. We hope that, should you agree to this proposition, we can retrieve your massive investment now at the bottom of the South China Sea. In return, the Techno Union would like to hire Militech to help overthrow several warlords in Africa for us."

Meredith: "That would be a huge deal for Militech. Thank you for considering us. We have been looking into possible operations to recover the lost investment, but the time required was a big ask. How long do you estimate it will take your droids to bring 600,000 tons of cargo to the surface?"

Sheelal: "I estimate that if all the correct droids were there, it would take no longer than a week to fully repair the ship and make it float on the sea again. However, if you want all the individual cargo that was in the ship, it would take a maximum of 3 days. We would require an escort for our droids as well as large cargo ships for the cargo to be placed upon, or would you prefer us to transport the cargo immediately by our own transports?"

Meredith: "No, we could provide a task force of 7 destroyers, 3 cruisers, and 1 missile cruiser, along with support from aircraft from Battle Fleet Leviathan. For the transportation, we would like the cargo to be directly transferred to cargo ships under our care. Does this deal sound agreeable to you?"

Sheelal: "Yes, it does. You have 2 years for the contract to bring the stipulated areas under control. The areas we have marked are what we expect Militech to accomplish, with the entirety of South Africa being pacified, as well as pushing into East Africa all the way to the pre-crash nations of Kenya and Uganda, and making a push into what was the Congo. With this, we would conclude the deal, where the Techno Union would engage in many contracts with Militech, especially in weapon contracts and future research. Is this deal agreeable, and will Militech be able to handle all the efforts this contract stipulates?"

Meredith: "Of course, Militech can deliver. But can the Techno Union provide more of an incentive towards this great deal?"

Sheelal: "How about this: every goal that gets completed before the deadline will have the appropriate amount of bonuses added to it. With all goals being hit, the total could well reach 3.5 billion credits paid out of Techno Union pockets. Without any bonuses, it would drop down to 2 billion credits. Is this enough for Militech to accurately gauge the contract?"

Meredith: "Very much so. My superiors have also expressed a similar deal to Mr. Saburo, where the investors of the company are prepared to pressure Mr. Harford into arranging an alliance through his daughter, as well as a government contract for NUSA, where the Techno Union would create new droids first for the NUSA, along with preferable land contracts."

Sheelal shook his head internally. They can't be offering something they don't have; the CEO of Militech doesn't have a daughter. Moreover, helping a government company might not be beneficial, as they could try to nationalize the Techno Union. However, the willingness is there. Arasaka seems to be more in line with the principles of the Techno Union, and Arasaka has a launch platform into space. All Militech can offer is increased profit margins, but the Union has already secured 50 contracts with different corps at this meeting, totaling 6 billion eddies.

Sheelal: "Perhaps, but as you know, my creator is very busy and has high standards. His time in seclusion makes him very analytical of people. So, apart from that, we have a fully made agreement. Ah, and with this agreement, I've been authorized to tell you about an upcoming product called the HMP droid gunship."

As the talk between Meredith and Sheelal continued, the digital battlefield raged on. Netrunners, faced with the absoluteness of mathematics and codes made entirely by droids, could only siphon some of the data. Among the netrunners was a woman named Kiwi, who only took part in this raid because her student had heard about it, and she didn't want her to get hurt. Here she was, fighting against completely new demons, possibly something she couldn't quite name yet, but something like a greater demon seemed about right for the massive presence inside the netrunner battlefield.

Elsewhere in the compound of the Techno Union, Kane was thinking aloud to himself.

Kane: "It would be interesting to see what a droid free of all limitations could do in the CIS if it were not burdened by stupid coding and production limitations. Maybe I could clone a copy of myself as a droid and send it to Star Wars, hopefully at the beginning of the Clone Wars or maybe a few years before that. It would be funny to mess up Palpatine's plans and get some actual flagships for myself. I would put myself in a B1 and see what happens when it goes off the leash. Might see the Yuuzhan Vong absolutely panic when they come to the galaxy."

Kane said this while tinkering with the 'Plasma' he made, which in his opinion and from a technical standpoint, is just a slightly weaker version of Tibanna gas from Star Wars that all blasters use. In Star Wars, conventional kinetic weapons are called slug throwers and aren't very common.

Kane: "THAT is an amazing idea as well. I could become a Mandalorian and become a new Mando'a, kill Vizsla like a bitch, and make Death Watch mean something like the old Mandalorians. I'll remake the Basilisk war droids. HOHOHo, that sounds fantastic! Ahhh, so many options, so much to see, so much to do."

As Kane settled back down into working on a turbolaser, he wanted to make it even more powerful using his ability to create Tiberium. The laser would be a black beam like that of the Darksaber. It would be cool to see. Like the Darksaber, he wanted the laser to have weight to it, which should be impossible, but Kane liked the challenge. Just imagine a thing that can shoot perfectly straight but have tons of force behind it. It would practically double the damage done to the shields in Star Wars if Kane was correct.

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. It's been a long day for me, and I write these all in one sitting, so I come back on and off for some parts. But yeah, hope you guys have some ideas like last time. Also, anyone remember "Roger, Roger"? Soooo good! Wish it had more chapters, as even on Space Battles there aren't many of those stories. Enough rambling. Toodles!!

PS Did anyone notice that Sheelal is named after grievous before he was grievous no one not even a speck ahh I'm such a nerd aren't I lol.