Entry two:
Back at it again.
It's been around four or five months since my first entry, and so much has happened. I've got a lot to cover, and my thoughts are a bit scattered, so this could help. Let's begin with the criminal cleansing operations.
That was, for the most part, done. Gangs and criminal organisations around Cryse were either destroyed or massively reduced. I didn't care about that, though. I cared about the spoils, and what amazing spoils they were.
While I had to split it with Pete, the split was likely closer to seventy-thirty or even eighty, considering I told Cody to conduct at least a few operations without Pete, and goods taken alone were entirely ours. I expected Pete to do the same, but to a lesser degree, since he didn't have the firepower of an entire Paramilitary company and go-ahead from city officials.
I also may or may not have omitted some assets seized from Pete's gaze. Since it all starts with me, as the legal entity between the two of us, I had the best pick of what to get and what to hide. While Pete likely knew which gangs owned specific criminal trades and probably the shell companies associated with them, he didn't know the amount of money in their accounts, the investments and shares they held, the entirety of their stock, and much more.
While I'm sure Pete had an idea of what I was doing, it wasn't like he could do much here. Despite being partners, I held too much power over this deal to really fight against, and we were still freeing the underground market for him so it was still working out for him.
One of the reasons Pete's gang lasted as long as it did was because the man was a reserved diplomat and knew the limits of his greed. He knew what he was, what he was doing and the danger. So long as he didn't get outright robbed, he would stay in his lane and keep his head down.
No honour amongst thieves and all. The fact that I was clearing the road for his dominance in the criminal underworld and not simply stabbing his back outright was already a lot of trust and respect. Undercutting his growth so he would never become a true threat was to be expected.
So I found myself a proud shareholder or outright owner of many local industrial assets, from drug stores, logistic companies, restaurants, and more. All just in my grubby hands alone.
While not mine alone. I gave many of those who participated large bonuses from the money we liberated, even giving Cody, Richy and Harley a larger amount with some shares or in Harley's case, a bunch of guns and more money. I also made sure Tekkaden got a decent share. It's still my home after all, but the house was jointly owned, so I didn't want to put all my eggs in that basket.
Even with splitting the pie amongst many, I still took a nice big slice. If I wanted to, I could retire now and live a good, good life, but nope, anything I got was immediately put to something and that something was what I dubbed the Kingston conglomerate or industries.
All the great things, places and companies are named after their founder or leader, like Stark Industries and… uh, Stalingrad? Caesar Salads, maybe? Whatever, my statement is still true.
This would be the parent company to all the rest, with the logo being the symbol of the imperium of man since I couldn't think of anything else. It's not heresy, right? I'm human and stuff. What more do you need? I'm not that creative, so if you can't think of something, copy someone else's work.
Anyway, right now, I have splintered assets: a bunch of land, small businesses: some shells and some legitimate ones, and I couldn't have that.
I needed to bring them all together. Introduce standardisation and quality control, and begin to finally work on a long-term goal, starting with dominating crucial industries in the region and eventually Mars. I also needed to purge any criminal elements left in the businesses, which required extensive work.
With all this in mind, I began with the simple job of categorising the assets into three types.
- Cash Generators: This includes, but is not limited to, casinos, bars, and drug stores.
- Infrastructure Levers: This includes but is not limited to logistics, warehouses and mines
- Legal/structural covers: This includes, but is not limited to, shell companies, landholdings, old buildings, and military bases.
I then needed to build new protocols and actually work on how to do more than say the word standardise. Cash flow structure needed to be unified in the accounting formats, centralised profit reporting and all that jazz.
I can't just put it all together and call it a business. For one, the variety is staggering. Criminals sure know how to diversify. I had to choose one industry at the forefront to take over and let the rest follow.
I decided logistics is the best industry to take over and thankfully, organised crime requires extensive logistics lest they get caught by authorities. Thus, I was overflowing with logistics companies big and small.
First things first, I would need to sort all the assets, accounts, existing contracts both business and employment then try to put it all into a working system. Next, purge any remaining criminal elements from all the businesses and finally appoint interim managers per asset group.
In terms of logistics, I would begin by inventorying all transport assets, warehouses, and routes seized from gangs. Then assign an interim logistics coordinator across all sites as we map Chryse's goods flow to identify which routes are most critical. Finally, standardise vehicle maintenance and load protocols.
I would be rolling all the little logistics firms into the creatively named Logistic Kings. I needed to be running as fast as possible if I wanted to properly implement and manage anything else.
Something I found helpful was the fact that most were legitimate businesses with legitimate contracts being done, maintenance schedules set, wages and taxes being paid. Working in plain sight and all.
So I didn't need to do much. I also had major help in the Turbines, who were major players of space logistics. In exchange for 30% of company shares, they would help in setting the whole thing up and give exclusive prices when it came to space-faring costs.
A big win considering the number of space-faring logistics companies could be counted in the dozens at best and they are all expensive as hell. This is one of the reasons Mars was left to its own devices. Almost nothing but the minerals were worth coming to Mars for.
Anyways.
One thing Cody made me aware of was public opinion during my escapades. For certain businesses like logistics, I planned to keep the takeovers and growing monopoly of the region out of the public eye.
Such a crucial yet overlooked industry didn't need people starting to ask questions, specifically the upper class. If they see me expanding into their regions, local business magnates could pressure their local noble or warlord to keep me out.
While I couldn't keep my actions a secret to everyone, I just needed to keep people's attention elsewhere. Not a hard task considering there was always something going on, both in general and because of my actions.
By leading the charge in taking many organised criminal own, the popularity of Tekkaden and my own increased rapidly, which provided a nice shield against anything negative said about me. Not many people liked upstarts and I have already been hearing comments about me being another growing ruthless warlord looking to kill, rape and pillage. The positive rep came at an opportune time.
The next important node I needed up and running quickly would be Kingston Securities, my very own paramilitary force. I needed to accelerate its creation and usability. I've already begun recruitment and training. I capitalised on Tekkaden's fame to get some experienced men as a foundation. Many Martian-born ex-Gjallahorn troops are the best pool I'm recruiting from.
A welcome surprise.
Apparently, many left Gjallahorn with the recent incident, opening many eyes to the sheer corruption that was the organisation. Many more followed as the discrimination of the top brass was exposed. With the incident, McGillis took advantage like the original. While the top fights, the oversight grew lax, and the discrimination that has always been festering underneath finally surfaced.
Who else to make the scapegoat of all that's wrong, those filthy Martian barbarians?
What made it worse was the fact that it was a bunch of Martian kids who were indirectly the cause of this entire thing. Many Martian-born soldiers, disillusioned with the prospect of rising through the ranks, left outright into my welcoming arms. With their help, I began to draft security doctrine, escalation rules and asset protection tiers among other documents.
In the end, Kingston Securities was no longer an idea but a fully fledged little company.
Among the recruits, I carefully assessed their personalities for Project Root. Yep, still doing that, and I needed to have people…less opposed to the creation of an organisation that would do what needed to be done for a better Mars of course.
It's been incredibly hard getting people for this project, but I've come up with an idea for how to bring people on board. Starting with the council to lead this all. I've decided to go with former colleagues during my time on the streets.
I'll be looking for those that I still have leverage over, those of whom I have a good idea of their character, skill in leadership and management and most importantly, those that have something to lose that I can control.
A very short list, but all were crucial. Luckily, I only needed two to four people maximum to form this proto-Council. Thankfully, I narrowed down six candidates.
I, of course, couldn't just tell them the full picture. I will bring them in incrementally. First, as business associates on sensitive work, then deeper, testing them every step of the way. By the time they know what's going on, they're already implicated in enough to be locked in.
Another founding problem is instructors. I needed skilled operatives to train the recruits, and they would likely need to use harsh methods, meaning loose morals. After long consideration, I decided I needed to hire people.
Finding people to hire isn't the problem. There are many ruthless people with many skills around Mars. The problem is secrecy. I'll, of course, work under an alias. I'll need to pay them well enough that the prospect of staying isolated from society for a few years is something a person would want to risk.
Especially considering the fact that there are mad men on Mars luring people in for experimentation or unscrupulous people who would rather kill them afterwards. I could never. Still, if money can't solve your issue, you don't have enough. There are crazies out there willing to risk it, knowing the possible dangers.
Gotta love Mars.
Nearly everything else was easy and ready to go. I selected an operational facility with multiple underground rooms in the desert, taken from a rogue PMC. I bugged the entire place and since I planned to have instructors live on site, I would need to have everything one would need to live a good life built on site and away from where the recruits would be. Getting recruits wouldn't be a problem. They were roaming Martian streets just looking to be saved.
Going back to my main project in business management, what I said about the Logistic Kings needed to be applied to all my businesses. With all that needed to be done, I luckily had connections: Makanai, McMurdo and even Mayor Bernstein.
All of them had reasons to help.
Cryse and the surrounding land were Arbrau-controlled tax-paying land. At least some places were. While Cryse was doing well for a Martian city, not all surrounding towns, villages and cities under Bernstein control were so fortunate. An industrial injection was something the place badly needed, which Makanai and Mayor Bernstein were fine with aiding in.
Tekkaden and, in extension, I were all under Taiwaz. This meant that us doing well was always good for Taiwaz. It gave them more influence and control. It also ensured they were among the first into a potentially new, rising market, which would provide another source of income.
Ah, nearly forgot. You know what I realised about the contract we had concerning eliminating the criminal elements in the city?
I could abuse it.
I realised that the criminal confirmation clause written in the agreement, which was exactly what you would think it is, was lax and easily bypassed. Yes, officer, this competitor of mine was actually a criminal operation. I found those drugs that I totally didn't plant in the storage facilities.
Now of course, I didn't go on a rampage with it, and I had to be sporadic with it, but I was definitely thinning the numbers a bit.
It's for the betterment of Mars.
I also sent some care packages of a few hundred thousand credits, depending on how big the business was, to their families, so we're even.
This was also the lead-up to another one of my ever-growing plans. Whether I want to or not, I can't control a mega monopoly in multiple industries. I mean, how would that look? I wanted to, since it was so easy to do in this fragmented land.
I mean, come on. It would be a crime not to fill my plate when all the food is right there. So I would be seeding 1-3 trustworthy operators across districts and begin oligarchy seeding. This would happen with the casino, bars, and a few drug stores. While my main protégé was Cody, I had a few wanna be entruepreneurs floating around Tekkedan I helped here and there I could finally give opportunities to.
I know, my kindness even surprises me.
Finally, the arms manufacturing plan.
I thought about it long and hard. The problem I had most of all with any arms manufacturing plan was the fact that I played little to no role, or an easily replaceable one. Even with my newfound wealth, it was a pittance considering it was all being used. Not to mention the time required.
While I don't know for sure what the future holds with all the changes in this universe, I'm not holding high hopes for a long, peaceful era. So until I can get into a position where I can weather most storms, I need to act like the worst is only a few paces ahead. I need to be self-sustainable when it comes to arming myself.
Back to the arms plan and its issue, I figured out a solution to it all. A Arbrau–Teiwaz–Tekkaden consortium.
I can't bankroll a meaningful arms manufacturing company within a reasonable time, but I sure can broker one. Arbrau or Makanai himself and I start a joint-venture holding company I creatively name ArMars Systems Ltd.
My best name yet.
Since it would likely be seen by the other blocs as another bloc blatantly rearming, it would be best if it were on Mars with the purpose of peacekeeping and industrial logistics or some nonsense like that. Could go with the classic German building tractors angle if I wanted to as well.
This is even though they are all doing the same, but in private. Fucking politics, man. Rules for thee but not for me and all that.
So anyway. Where I come in. I have McMurdo agree to get Euro Electronics, a subsidiary of Teiwaz, to sign a strategic cooperation agreement.
I've already come up with the outline of the possible contract:
- THI supplies manufacturing, materials, and engineering know-how.
- ArMars retains IP ownership for any new designs co-developed.
- ArMars funds R&D through Arbrau capital.
- Deliveries are routed through Mars trade stations.
There are a few tweaks I need to make, but that's the gist.
For my personal life, not that I have much of one. Andre the rat bastard is busy being collared by that succubae, so I don't see him as much anymore. Harley was having a blast on Mars and Cassady followed her back. Girls of a feather, sisters of other misters, and all the other sayings they hit me with in the video calls we shared. She also got a nice apartment in downtown Cryse with Cassady.
Kudelia and Fumitan also got an apartment, but on Earth in Edmonton. I unfortunately haven't seen much of the latter duo either, despite working in close proximity. Not much has happened between Kudelia and me since that night. We've both become very busy people to do more than video call.
While her mining rights mission was a success, that was nowhere near all she wanted to do. She was actually hoping to someday get full Martian autonomy from all the blocs, and she was planning to get into the mining business.
Something I supported and planned to help her with, in the form of another joint venture. She seemed really receptive to the idea and already began doing her homework on the topic. She was also looking for prospective investors. When I asked why she didn't want to just ask her dad for money, she spouted off how much she didn't want to rely on her family too much and how much she wanted to build upon herself.
It was a bit annoying, considering she could do a lot more with the aid. Even when I had to ask her dad's contacts for the whole cleanup operation, she was reluctant at first; the thing that got her to give in was my continuous stressing of how much it would improve Mars.
Going back to seeing people, Fumitan. I've also not seen her much since the camp. I have a feeling that she's purposefully avoiding me. Even in video calls. She's apparently always too busy to come say hi, or something of that nature.
When we do talk, she's always tense and avoids my gaze when she can, keeping the conversation short and leaving when it's not rude. I could guess why she was doing this, but I wasn't gonna allow it forever. When I got the chance, I would confront her.
Next off, Robby. The grease monkey is still doing what he's always done. I actually introduced him to some engineers to study under in Arbrau. I actually plan for him to get in on the arms manufacturing company once I get it started, but for now, he needs experience with actual guidance since the boy's been at it alone for most of his life.
David has been busy, too. He is currently part of the team setting up the training programme for the Arbrau Defence Force. Noy much else to say besides the fact that he's been kicking ass. Literally.
Finally, Richy. Not much to say, the boy doesn't do much but help me administer. A real godsend at it too. I should probably do something for him. He's not materialistic, and he's never really been much for female attention, but that could be because he never had the right one.
Next topic, Gjallarhorn.
The military faction has been in the shitter recently, losing much of its respect and trustworthiness in the eyes of the world, and has entered a period of instability, as I mentioned previously. Thank the gods for this, too. While Mars has become even worse when it comes to law and justice, it's the perfect breeding ground for a strongman, and currently, Tekkaden's part of the strongest men around.
That's all I have to say for the moment. I'll continue to keep, well, myself posted.