The Ship: The New Frontiers Series, Book One

by Jack L Knapp

  “Sounds good, Frenchy. I’ve never had that kind of money and neither has Morty. But I guess the thing for me to do now is go buy a truck.”

  “You pick the truck, let purchasing know what you want. Benjamin’s people will take care of the negotiations.”

  #

  Tractor-trailers began arriving at the former warehouse during the ensuing weeks. The early deliveries included a large forklift and two pallet jacks to move the equipment around when it began arriving.

  The increased activity kept people busy, so no one paid attention to the man who drove by and took photos of the building. He came back at other times. occasionally parking his van down the street where he could watch the building’s entrance. He made notes of when people began arriving in the morning and when the last ones locked the building’s doors and gate at night. The process was the same in each case; a spry older man and a gimpy younger one arrived, opened the gate, then unlocked the personnel door into the main building. External lights were switched off and the building’s main lights turned on. Other people began arriving around seven, and this influx tapered off by eight o’clock. Early arrivals wore ordinary workman’s clothing and hard hats, while the last few wore office attire.

  The sharp-eyed observer noticed that the younger man who accompanied the oldster had a stiff knee. On two occasions, the young man remained in the building overnight. The lights were extinguished in the usual fashion and the gate locked, but a light remained on upstairs. The watcher concluded that the younger man had chosen to work late. He made it a point to arrive early the next morning, taking up a position where he could watch the gate. This time, only the elderly man arrived to open the building. He carried a paper bag that had the logo of a fast-food restaurant, located a few blocks from the building. That evening, the younger man left with the older one, locking the doors and the gate while the old man waited. Clearly, he’d stayed overnight in the building, probably upstairs in an office; this information was important to the man who watched.

  Two months later, having observed the activities sporadically, the watcher was ready to act. The usual pair of men locked up and drove away together. The watcher remained in the back of his van, waiting for the traffic to decrease. He leaned back in his chair and catnapped..

  The vibration from his cell phone woke him at 10:30 pm. The coffee in his thermos was still warm, no longer hot, but the man drank two cups anyway while he watched the building.

  Finally deciding that there was no need to wait longer, the man opened the truck and pulled on a pair of surgeon’s thin rubber gloves. He then picked up a battered tool box and left the van. Displaying no sign of anxiety or haste, he walked directly to the gate. There was enough light from a distant street light to clearly reveal the lock. It was a common design and the man had seen dozens like it before. He set the tool box on the ground and reached into his pocket, but instead of a key, he took out a selection of thin lock picks. Opening the lock was the work of a few seconds. The man removed the lock and placed it, still open, inside the tool box. Having someone come along and spot the open lock might cause a problem.

  He carefully closed the gate behind him and walked up to the building’s personnel door. This lock too presented no difficulties and it also went into the tool box, the only difference being that he stuck a strip of tape to the building’s lock so that he would know which one went on the door and which should be put back on the gate.

  The lights inside were dim, but sufficient for his purpose. He looked around but saw nothing noteworthy. From appearances, it might be any machine shop and much of the space was empty. Pausing at the top of the stairs, he used his cell phone to take photos. They were blurry and dark, but they would have to do. Pocketing the phone, he entered the offices.

  Forty-five minutes later, the man left the building and locked the door, making sure that he used the lock with the strip of tape. He removed and pocketed the tape, then walked to the gate. He locked this behind him and was soon back at his van. He started the engine and waited a moment to let the engine warm while he kept watch on the building. Fifteen minutes later he drove away. No security vehicle had arrived, so there was no alarm on the building.

  The people running this place were amateurs, clearly. But in his business, amateurs were just the sort of people he preferred. More savvy people would have used better locks and probably equipped the building with internal alarms. Other people in his profession had discovered such things to their sorrow. He himself had learned to be cautious, very cautious, the hard way. He understood now that it was far better to spend time watching a potential target than to spend a greater amount of time locked in a barred room.

  But the job wasn’t finished, so caution was still his watchword. He would return within a day or two to install a receiver/transmitter that would pick up the faint signals from the devices he’d left in the upstairs offices. He would then tie the R/T unit in with the recorder waiting in his apartment. But the hard part was done; from now on, he’d be getting all the information he needed with no need to reenter the building.

  Chapter Eight

  Morty was still busy with the new machines, and Frenchy realized there was a problem. He made a phone call, then called Morty off to the side to talk to him.

  “Morty, I’m going to take some of the load off your shoulders. You’ll continue with the design and supervision, but I want Jim Sperry to take over production.”

  “Production, Frenchy?”

  “Right. You’re trying to do too much, and it’s slowing things down. I’ll have Jim do the task-scheduling of people and machines. He’ll keep the work flowing; you tell him what you want, he’ll see you get it on time. I’ll also assign a clerk to make sure that supplies are available. Jim will do the same job when we begin assembly. You’ll remain head of design, but he’ll handle the management part. Think you can work with him?”

  “I don’t see why not. He’s a good man, so sure, let him deal with scheduling. I’ve got all I can handle with the engineering team. You want to talk to him, or do you want me to tell him what you have in mind?”

  “I’ll take care of it, Morty. You just get the machines up and running and give us a design we can put into production.”

  #

  During the following months, the new system produced several improved impellers. In addition to impellers for the Bedstead, the new production included several heavy-duty models, similar in design but with more robust components.

  Chuck now spent most of his time working with a small team of programmers, rewriting the codes needed to operate the impellers. The new team also tweaked the instrumentation and improved the controls for the new heavy impellers, leaving Chuck to work with Morty improving the basic Bedstead. The original parts of that relatively-crude device were soon replaced by redesigned and purpose-built components. The latest iteration consisted of a stainless steel box frame, with mounting slots that housed a rechargeable battery and two flight-control computers. A pilot’s seat was mounted near the front of the craft to balance the weight of the rear-mounted battery pack, and a panel-mounted joystick to the pilot’s front controlled the computers. While they worked in tandem for the most part, having two computers provided redundancy which made flying safer. The original Bedstead’s diesel generator had been removed; the new battery pack provided enough power for hour-long test flights, and the generator could be reinstalled later on if it was needed.

  A perk of working in the production department was getting to fly the Bedstead. A signup sheet in the break room listed which engineer would fly next and which flight profile he was to follow. The Bedstead, simply put, was fun to fly, and the people who discovered something that needed improving could immediately pass the information on to the people responsible for designing the fix. Flights had become so common that workers on the machines barely noticed when the nearly-silent Bedstead drifted overhead, flying a course around the warehouse. Adventurous engineers sometimes flew the course backwards.

  #
>
  “Good morning, Richard. I don’t understand why you want a personal meeting. I’ve done business with you folks for years and Gene has always handled my account before, so what has changed?”

  “I know, Will, but to be honest, the government has tightened up on the kinds of loans we can issue. It’s a question of collateral, you see. Gene didn’t have enough information when your proposal came before the board.”

  “I don’t understand. I’m putting up some of my other investments as security for the loan. You’re surely familiar with them, they’re traded on the Big Board. Most of them, anyway, and the shares in foreign companies are also doing well. So what’s the problem?”

  “We’re interested in knowing why you need the money, Will. You’re asking us to underwrite a letter of credit that’s considerably larger than anything you’ve needed before. It’s possible that we might also want to invest in the same venture, which might reduce your exposure. While you have a knack of finding investments, they don’t always pay off. I won’t call you a plunger, Will, but some of your investments haven’t been prudent.”

  “I’ve always paid off every dime I borrowed from you people!”

  “You’re not asking for dimes, Will. You’re asking for millions of dollars, and you’re not giving us much information.”

  “And I’m not going to. You stand to make money from interest on the loans, and that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

  “I see.” Richard leaned back and crossed his hands in his lap. “I rather thought that would be your answer, Will. I’m sorry to inform you that we don’t consider this proposal to be an acceptable risk, especially considering the volatility of the stock markets worldwide. We think a correction is overdue, and the stock you’re putting up for collateral won’t be enough to cover potential losses. The last correction was quite severe, as you’ll remember.”

  Will nodded. He’d lost millions in the severe market decline.

  “The board authorized me to approach you as I have, but since our meeting has not been productive I have no choice but to decline. The bank will not be funding your investment.”

  “Then I’ll go somewhere else, and I’ll be taking my accounts with me!”

  “We’re sorry to see you go, Will, but this is business. I doubt you’ll find anyone else who’ll be willing to underwrite your venture, whatever it is. Have you checked your credit rating recently?”

  “No, I’ve had no need to. I have excellent credit, plenty of assets, no bankruptcies or foreclosures. Why would my credit rating be less than it was before?”

  “I can’t answer that, Will. Perhaps the rating companies can. But your credit rating is such that we need more collateral than what you’re offering before we provide you with the letter of credit you’re seeking.”

  Will was seething when he left the bank. During the course of the day he approached two other banks, and both refused to extend credit. He was much more thoughtful when he telephoned Frenchy.

  #

  Frenchy called for a ten o’clock meeting of the Board on Monday.

  “Will?”

  “Move we dispense reading of the minutes and approve the minutes of the previous meeting.”

  “All in favor? Passed, then. On to new business. Will?”

  “It’s about finance, people. Something is going on, something none of us counted on. I’m having trouble getting a loan! I counted on that to provide the funds I agreed to put in immediately. So far, the only finance offers I’ve gotten are from people I’m suspicious of.”

  “I’ve had problems too, Will. Who are you getting those offers from?”

  “They’re not from banks, I can tell you that. And I won’t accept them because of the interest rate they offered.”

  “Too high, Will?”

  “Too high, and for too short a time, Frenchy. I’m pretty sure organized crime is behind it. I refused, of course. I wonder how they knew I needed money?”

  “Will, they almost certainly have someone at the banks where you applied for loans. They’re crooks, but they’re not stupid. They need banks too, and that means they pay off someone working at the bank. They may even control some of the bank executives, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find they are part owners of the banks.”

  “I’ve never had this kind of trouble, Frenchy. I have to say, I didn’t expect this.”

  “None of us did. I’m having trouble too, Will. Not so much from raising money, I had funds immediately available from sales of some of my stocks, but I haven’t been able to find an acceptable site for the factory. The current shop, the one downstairs, is sufficient for design work and light production, but it’s not big enough to modify aircraft or build a space-capable ship. Located where we are, we also can’t keep snoopers away. All they’ll need to do is park on the street and watch who comes and goes. That may be what’s going on now, or maybe there’s something more sophisticated involved, but in any case security is a concern we’ve got to address.

  “I expected to buy or lease a site, but every time I found one, someone else had been there before me. Whoever they were, they had taken out an option on the building. Someone is working against us, I’m convinced of it, because there’s not that much demand for factory space in Amarillo or Lubbock. I’m thinking now that we need to consider building our own plant, probably on the New Mexico side of that land I own. The property extends across the state line, but since I’ve been getting opposition in Texas anything we do there is likely to tip off whoever’s working against us. Maybe the thing to do is act like I’ve given up looking for a site, so if there is some sort of organized effort against us in Texas whoever’s doing it will back off. If there is someone in Texas trying to put a spoke in our wheel, he might not be paying attention to what happens in New Mexico. It’s worth a try, I think. Anyway, that old ranch of mine barely makes enough to pay the taxes, so using it as a site for our factory makes sense. It’s not much good for ranching but that’s been the only use for it up to now. We don’t get a lot of rainfall up there, so the only water comes from wells. That’s going to play out eventually. There’s a lot of salt water just below the fresh water table, and as we pump out the fresh water the salt water moves in.

  “I’ll work on getting a manufacturing and assembly building up as soon as possible, before any opposition can get organized on the New Mexico side. I’m not sure how long it will take, but I’ll start looking for a contractor tomorrow.”

  “What about the finance problems, Frenchy?” asked Morty.

  “They’re still there. I don’t know what I’ll be doing yet. One idea that Jim and I have talked about is to start a marine operation using those heavier impellers. I’m still working on that idea, but if we had a working unit to show people, we might be able to generate some cash flow. That would certainly help. One possibility, I might have to spin that operation off and make it a separate company. This company would then begin operating as a holding company with the marine operation a separate company under the corporate umbrella.”

  “Table the discussion for now, Frenchy?”

  “All in favor? So moved. Will, I’d like you and Chuck to remain behind. The rest of you, thanks for attending.”

  “Vote to adjourn?”

  “All in favor? So moved.” French rapped on the table with his knuckles. The other board members filed out.

  “Let’s walk down to the machine shop. I’ve got something to show you.”

  Chuck looked at him quizzically, but Frenchy’s expression was bland.

  #

  The machine shop was noisy, and most of the men wore earmuff-style sound suppressors. Frenchy pulled Will and Chuck in close and spoke where no one else could hear what was said.

  “We’ve either got a spy, maybe one of the employees, or someone is listening to what we discuss. That’s the only explanation that makes sense. I don’t think any of the engineers are doing it, but I’m having Panit’s staff and your programmers checked out again, Chuck. We didn’t do a real in-depth
investigation; we figured that if they’d been working for Panit before, that was good enough. Maybe it wasn’t.”

  “Most of the employees are people hired since we got the warehouse, Frenchy. You think it might be the guys on the cleanup crew? We could change cleaning contractors if you think that would help.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it. For all we know somebody is breaking in at night and searching the place. There’s no use taking action until we know who’s doing the spying and how they’re doing it. We’re already shredding documents before we toss them, so that’s not the problem. It’s why I don’t think the cleanup crew is involved. But what if someone has bugged this place? They could be listening to everything we say. Make no mistake, we’re going to be stepping on a lot of toes when the impellers hit the market, so there’s motive for any number of people to hamper our efforts. We’re talking millions, maybe billions of dollars eventually. Factories that make jet engines or rockets will go the way of the people that made Conestoga wagons. If their factories don’t close, they’ll have to do a lot of expensive retooling and maybe pay license fees to us. When that much money’s at stake, people will stop at nothing. We probably made a mistake, not thinking about how much pressure our work would put on conventional systems, but it’s not too late. We haven’t done anything yet to really threaten them ,and the only ones who know our eventual plans are part of management. They’ve got far too much to lose to be selling the company out.

  “Here’s what I think we should do. We keep on working here in the shop, but we don’t discuss anything upstairs about future plans. No more board meetings in the building. We don’t really need to hold meetings anyway, and if something comes up that requires a full meeting of the board, I’ll rent office space. If you need to talk to your people about anything sensitive, write it down, show it to whoever needs to know, then shred the paper. Get with your people and tell them why we’re making the change, but do it quietly. I’ll let the other investors know what’s going on,” said Frenchy.