“I could not say on an unsecured channel, but I have not received the report yet, but I fear I may have broken the Wealth Cap. To fix this, I plan to give shares to the companies that provide the assets needed to mine my claims. Alard is downstairs with the sealed report, but I need my lawyer present before I go into details,” Kaede said.
“Is Alard sober?” General Feygold asked. At 210 cm tall, he was shorter than his daughter, Hilda. His blond hair was cut short, and it stood on end. He wore a grey guard’s uniform.
“Yes,” Kaede replied. “They know about the diamonds,” the voice said.
“Who is your lawyer?” Patya asked.
“Lady Toshiko,” Kaede replied.
“Kenta leaked it thinking it will hurt me, but it is all going according to my plan,” Kaede thought.
“My Plan,” the voice said.
“Our Plan,” Kaede thought.
“Your lawyer is my guest, and I have not finished questioning her,” Patya said.
“Did you inform Lady Toshiko you arrested my lawyer? Yuki is one of her knights,” Kaede said.
“Lady Yuki is assisting us with our inquiries, but I will have her brought here,” Patya said.
“What is going on?” Dain asked as he entered.
“We were discussing what to do with the 125,000 billion in mineral assets I have,” Kaede said. In the control room beneath the Palace, Toshiko sent a leaked copy of the mining report to all but Dain.
“Patya, why is the púca here?” Dain asked as he sat in his chair.
“Prince Kaede just declared he is sitting on trillions in assets,” Patya said.
Dain laughed. “You cannot go from a few billion to trillions overnight,” Dain said. But no one else laughed. He looked at the other Senators; They were reading a message that appeared to have been sent by Kenta.
Patya stood. “As Minister of Business, Finance and Economics, I can confirm Kaede Mining filed mineral claims on asteroid fields in five systems. He has the largest collection of resources ever. It is the largest find of Lonsdaleite. The embarrassing part is that it has been under our noses for thousands of years, only four light-years away in Alcyone Prime,” Patya said.
“But that system only contains a dense graphite cloud and ship crushing rocks,” Dain said.
“According to the mineral survey, many of those rocks have diamond cores the size of footballs wrapped in Lonsdaleite,” Patya said.
“The dust clouds make the system impossible to mine,” Dain said to Patya.
“I have a plan,” Kaede said.
“We can deal with Prince Kaede later,” Dain said.
“But he has an appointment,” Sky Marshal Rudolf Reinhart said. He was a Field Elf, in a Sky-Force uniform, taller than Dain, with short red hair and green eyes.
“Dain, the system has 319 times the volume of gold, methane, water, iron, and diamonds than we have in the Empire,” Patya said.
Kaede looked about, the only one who was surprised was Dain. Curious, none of them told Dain.
“We have a case of gross negligence against the Emperor; he should have arrested the spy. Not only did he not tell us about the spy. The spy escaped with a spaceplane that cost the Empire billions to develop. Our enemies will soon have stealth and other advanced technology,” a concerned Dain said.
Catch up Dain, they already do.
“If you look at your phones, I sent you an agreement hours ago,” Kaede said.
“What agreement?” Dain asked.
In the control room, Toshiko pressed send on a file.
“Our phones are off, not that it matters, the room is shielded from radiation,” Pharaoh Takis Alexandris, a Silver Elf said. Standing at 210 cm tall, he towered over Kaede. His long silver hair flowed over his shoulders as he looked at Dain, his green eyes narrowed.
“If you link your phone to your tablets, the system will grant you access to your phone’s messages,” Kaede said.
“My business is a matter of Imperial Security,” Dain said.
“So is mine. I found billions of tons of Lonsdaleite, which is vital to the Imperial Fleet,” Kaede said.
As Patya and others tap their phones to their tablets, a pop-up asked them for their thumbprint to verify network access. As each pressed their thumbs to the tablet’s screen, In the control room, Toshiko copied all their phone data. In the phone room, Kaede grinned.
“Kaede has a point; it is a vital component of composite materials,” Viktor said.
“I, for one, think we need to know how he intends to mine it?” Patya asked.
“The first ships will fly a path cleared by comets. As they head in, they will grab asteroids along the way, with a set of four tractor beams that will land them in a forward-facing landing bay. Asteroids will be loaded into the ship’s cargo bay. The ship will continue into and then slingshot out of the system. Due to the extreme danger and precision needed, the ships will need to be crewed and piloted by androids. As for the asteroids, they will be processed at my space stations on the edge of the system,” Kaede replied.
“Androids?” Viktor asked.
“Yes, I plan to build a fleet of class four mining ships with an android crew. I call the ship class Needle,” Kaede said. He went to the main screen behind the throne. A picture of a long wedge-shaped ship appeared on the screen.
“What are the specifications?” Viktor asked.
“The Needle Class IV Transport has four of my gravity engines, a tractor beam with a range extender, a powerful computer, anti-gravity field generators and has a hyperspace engine. The ship’s sub-light, and faster-than-light, speeds are faster than any Imperial Fleet ship. My tractors are stronger and have a longer range than any other gravity beam to date. I have four inside the forward bay; they work as one. I call the system a tractor net,” Kaede replied.
“Do you have a working prototype?” Viktor asked.
“Yes, and we have already tested it,” Kaede replied.
“If we are to believe Prince Kaede, he has a legitimate claim to the crown,” Argon remarked.
“Yes, I will dethrone my grandfather and take control of the Hashimoto Clan,” Kaede said.
“What are you offering us?” Viktor asked.
“I am offering you each a share of the asteroid fields. No one company can exploit and protect the system. Soon after the report is unsealed, it will leak, and we will see a gold rush.” Kaede said.
“Yes, we would have a problem with illegal mining,” Viktor said.
“Instead of gold, I offer a share of the mining operation. I need help to build spacedocks, ships, and space stations. We can start with a small fleet and work on the edge, but we need the robotics bill passed today,” Kaede said.
“I’ll bite, how much of a share?” Dain asked.
“I am offering you each three per cent of Kaede Mining, but due to the Wealth Cap, we need to share this with Lords and other companies. But we will need outside labour; thus, we need to bring in more Dwarves, giants, Daemons and Beastmen,” Kaede replied.
“That sounds fair, but do not count on many minerals keeping their high value,” Viktor said.
“Yes, eventually there will be a devaluation of Lonsdaleite, but we are far from that point, because of the high cost of mining and processing,” Kaede said.
“What about the Wealth Cap?” Takis asked.
“The Wealth Cap is a challenge. I can expand the wealth base slightly by paying all my debts. We expand it more with partnerships with the top 1000 companies. In the long term, I will need a special waiver from the Senate to give more time to comply with the wealth laws. A month is not enough to arrange the sale of excess wealth. I plan to expand the wealth base, thus taking the pressure off all of us. But it will take years to audit every company, find buyers, and expand the wealth base,” Kaede replied.
“What about your debts and taxes?” Patya asked.
“I will pay my taxes in Lonsdaleite and use other resources to pay all my debts to you,” Kaede replied.
“I think he is offering us a bribe,” Dain said.
“Did I ask you to do anything illegal?” Kaede asked.
“Prince Kaede has a point; a month is too short to determine how much he is over and how to dispose of this excess wealth,” Arjuna said.
“We should do away with the Cap; the laws are too complicated. Every year one of us goes over the limit,” Takis said.
“Regardless of how we feel about the cap, the fact remains we did a deal with the lords a long time ago to limit wealth to ensure we don’t use our position to take them over,” Dain said.
“If any of you exploit the law to force him to face a penalty, I will come after you,” Patya said.
“I think we should grant the extension, and we check the progress at the end of each year. I suggest we placate the Lords with a twenty per cent share,” Kenta said.
“Any objections to General Kenta’s proposal?” Patya asked. He looked around. Dain didn’t even blink. “Prince Kaede, use your time wisely and do not waste time. Do not abuse the extension, we cannot be favourable to you, nor as your competitors, use this to our advantage against you.”
“I will do my best,” Kaede said, he then walked to Takahiro and bowed. “Grandfather, I request you to plead guilty to a lesser charge of negligence causing workplace harm, which will require you to pay for the lifelong care of the injured party, pay compensation to the injured party and a fine to the Empire. I request the Blood-Witches see to my father’s medical needs.”
“What?” Takahiro asked.
“I recommend charges of gross negligence and mishandling of classified material,” Dain said.
“It will be a long time before the inquiry, but I think, captain Hiro should remain with the Blood-Witches, and at Takahiro’s expense,” Rudolf said.
“Once news gets out, people will demand you step down,” Patya said.
Again, Takahiro asked, “What?”
“The alternative is proving in court that you did not deliberately put your son in harm’s way,” Dain said with a broad grin.
“Dain is right,” Patya said, he walked over to Kaede and knelt. “Do you know what that means?”
Kaede turned to Takahiro. “Grandfather, the law is clear; the richest shall rule. Accept my takeover offer, you know I can repay the debt,” Kaede said.
Worried, Takahiro looked around. No one spoke. He turned to Kaede and said, “I accept.”
“As I am richer than you, I ask you to step down as Emperor of the Elves, and East Hyperborea,” Kaede said. Then he faced the court. “I Kaede Hashimoto claim the crown.”
“You’re increasing your holdings?” Dain asked.
“Odd move given you’re already over the Wealth Cap,” Patya said.
“As Emperor of the Elves, I will grant my grandfather a pardon. As Emperor of the Flower Elves I appoint Takahiro the title of Lord of The Inland Sea and appoint him CEO of the Kaede Enterprises and make the Hashimoto Corporation one of its subsidiaries,” Kaede said.
“I find your proposal interesting, but we need rational debate before we accept the pardon,” Chief Yaotl Belaúnde, a Forest Elf said. He looked out of place with his unbrushed long, green hair, deerskin vest with no shirt, tight leather pants and crocodile skin boots. On his head, a pair of antlers, despite the weight, appeared not to affect him as he stood up. He looked around with his wild green eyes and said, “I think we can all agree that Takahiro should pay for Hiro’s medical care?”
“You cannot seriously be considering this?” Dain asked as he looked at Patya.
“Yes, Takahiro must pay for Hiro’s care and pay him full compensation,” Rudolf said.
“I agree, but we must not rush the process,” Patya said.
“Yes, we should be debating this,” Dain said.
“Dain, I am touched that you want me to remain as Emperor,” Takahiro said in a soft voice with a smile. As Dain went to respond, Takahiro turned to Patya and said, “Patya, since I am the accused, I cannot vote. So, I shall leave the room, but the rules are clear. My accuser cannot be present for the debate. I will plead guilty and leave you to decide. Come, Dain, I will let you insult me in my soon to be former private office.”
“Takahiro should face a public inquiry into the whole operation,” Dain said.
Takahiro turned and bowed low to Kaede and said, “I resign from all titles, and step down as head of the clan. I shall sell the Hashimoto Corporation and all its subsidiaries to Kaede Hashimoto. I accept his mercy and offer Czar Petrov my full confession.”
“I accept,” Kaede said to Takahiro and turned to Patya and said, “There must be an inquiry, not just into the theft and disappearance of the stealth craft, but a spy base so close to our capital is not on me.”
“Most of the Inquiry will be behind closed doors, if Takahiro accepts responsibility, in public, then we can focus on what Hiro is owed,” Patya said.
Takahiro bowed to Patya and said, “I accept responsibility.” He turned and walked to the double doors. He held his head high and stopped at Dain. “Come, Dain, you know the rules, you’re the accuser, and I am the defendant, we must leave them to talk.”
Dain looked at Patya, then the other lords and said, “Rudolf should be the one to prosecute this case.”
“Sorry, Rudolf is a witness. You are the only one not directly involved,” Patya said.
“We have other business today,” Dain said.
“Yes, and you will be called back when we present Sora with the Imperial Award for Sports. She broke Abelle’s goal record. Also, we are going to present Prince Kaede with the Imperial Award for Science,” Patya said.
“Another award?” Dain asked.
“Yes, along with Mako and Miko for the Artificial Organ,” Patya replied. “Will you leave, or will I have Abelle come and put you in a headlock?”
“My company started that research, and I plan to lodge an intellectual property claim,” Dain said.
“Dain, the Lilith Foundation owns the Artificial Cell. Before you remind us that Lilith was your mother, we remind you she left all her intellectual property to Lady Toshiko. Kaede licensed the technology from the foundation and conducted original research. If you did any research, it was in vain, as you never published papers or lodged patents in your name,” Rudolf said.
Takahiro walked over to Dain, put his hand on his shoulder, and said, “Careful Dain, you might join me in exile.”
“Either you abandoned your research years ago or illegally conducted secret research, which is it?” Kaede asked.
Dain growled, “Abandoned research years ago,” he turned and left the throne room in a huff.
Kaede watched Dain leave. He turned to the Senators and said, “I will ask you all to keep the details of the business proposal a secret. Yes, I know as public officials your holdings must be published, but you have thirty days to file with the Treasury and publication will be thirty days from filing. I am only requesting all of you to remain silent for as long as you legally can.”
“How can we know if we receive a fair deal? What if it significantly upsets the order of houses?” Patya asked.
“Czar Petrov you are welcome to investigate the deal, but the deal is simple. The Navy will intercept all ships other than approved miners. Each month an independent committee will determine what needs to be mine. Kaede Mining will take fifty-one per cent of everything mined in return for access to all facilities, equipment, security, processing, rescue service, and transport,” Kaede replied.
“Do you mine or we mine?” Patya asked.
“We own the processing and sell the ships to clans who are not nobles to grow the wealth base and allow them to sell their share of the processed minerals at trade hubs in the outer orbit,” Kaede replied.
“I think I understand, and we can go into greater detail later, but if the lords get a cut, I am sure they will go along with anything that keeps them in power and wealth,” Kenta said.
Admiral Viktor Niemi and Czar Patya Petrov looked impressed and nodded.
>
Prince Georgi Vlasov, a Night Elf, had jet black skin with violet eyes and was a little taller than Maharajah Desai. He wore a dark purple suit. The jacket had gold trim and buttons, and his shirt was a light purple. His dark purple hair was a large mane down to his waist. He wore a silver headband. He looked about and frowned. He leaned forward and said, with a thick Russian accent, “I want my lawyers to go over the deal.”
“Of course,” Kaede said.
“I think we need to discuss what to tell the people about Takahiro. I think it is best if we tell them he has resigned to concentrate on the clan and his corporation,” Patya said. Kaede smiled and looked at Patya, who added, as the door swung open, “Sorry, Emperor, but due to a conflict of interest, we must conclude the matter without you present and we will discuss a counter-proposal to your offer, the best we can do is keep it from the public for thirty days.”
“Oh,” Kaede said. He bowed to them, and as he left, he said, “I know my Grandfather built up a lot of tension over the years, but my father often asked for no special treatment and knew the dangers of getting in the cockpit.”
Patya said nothing, but he nodded as Kaede walked out, and the doors closed behind him.
Chapter 37
It was nearly 10 pm when Abelle escorted Dain to the throne room. As he entered, he saw Patya and the other Senators around a table of food and drink behind the semicircle of chairs. They parted as Dain approached to reveal Kaede in the middle of the group making sushi. Alard, a male Field Elf, stood beside Kaede. He was taller than Dain and thinner. He appeared to be middle-aged, his short, faded, blond hair was combed back and slick with hair gel. His face had no wrinkles. He wore a white three-piece suit with white shoes and socks. He had on a red tie and a red handkerchief in his shirt pocket. Unlike most, he did not wear a smart band but an analogue watch. It was gold with diamonds around the face. Alard asked Kaede, “Did you just say you prefer it raw?”
“Yes, I regularly eat raw tuna. But I cooked this fish in honey and soy sauce,” Kaede said as he cut a thin slice off the tuna roll.
“What is going on?” Dain asked.
Power Games Page 33
