Chapter 2

V4RU is located on the other side of the planet, which means traveling to there but thanks to being rich, it is quite easy. Taking one sub-orbital flight in first class leaves me in the nearest city and after that it is rather easy to find a VTOL and fly there. From the air, the company installations are isolated in the middle of a prairie field and includes several very big warehouses and an airfield / drop port.

The lawyers must have already informed them of my arrival as while we are landing, I can see a welcome committee waiting for me. Exiting the VTOL I saw five people waiting – three men and two woman: one is the perfect suit man, another one the bookish type. We also got the dirty mechanic, the beautiful redhead and a smallish brunette in a kind of uniform. What is this, the stereotype week?

The "suit" takes a step forward and begins speaking.

"Good morning Mister Bassot. I'm John Smith, the general manager. The people around me are the leaders of the different branches of V4RU, to my right, Bertrand Suchet is the Recover department leader – this guy just looks like many low budget stereotypes of bookish small man - , Gilbert Leloup - looking strangely like Yang Virtanen in the HBS game, even if his cybernetic arm is the left one this time - is our master technician, and at my left Sara Pelletier – a beautiful looking redhead that can easily work in the supermodel world - is the boss of the space department, that means that she is responsible for our Jumpship and Dropships, and last but not least, miss Lise Bonnel - a very interesting smallish brunette, dressed in a casual way, with a military type jacket, mirrored glasses and with a big gun on her holster is the most distant image of what I picture security or military related - is our security chief. Would you like a tour of the installations ?"

During said tour I can see several military vehicles and 'Mechs under works. Mr Smith informs me that one of the most lucrative businesses of the company is the repair and refit one and that they have contracts not only with the Taurian Defense Force and several small mercenary units but also a good relation with VMI (Vandenberg Mechanized Industries) to support then and even sometimes execute the final assembly and testing of new deliveries. When I asked about the military hardware owned by the company and after a small saddened look on Mr Smith's face that vanishes as soon as it got there, I was guided to a separated group of warehouses and hangars containing several 'Mechs, Aerospace Fighters and other military hardware, but to my dismay, all dating back to the Reunification War or similar periods. In other words, antiques. Seeing my dismay face, Mr Leloup quickly added that while, the hardware might indeed seem old, they have all been extensively refitted with modern systems. They are modern versions in all but name and aspect but more importantly, they are also capable of accepting modern components and could be used in the field if necessary without risking any lack of parts or ammo. Inside of three of the hangars are also Dropships that were also modernized and are ready to be deployed. The only empty hangar is the house of the only Jumbo DropShip that the company has and that at the time being is running a contract for VMI, delivering equipment to a mercenary force somewhere in the Inner Sphere. According to Miss Pelletier, it should be returning in about three months. With it is our only JumpShip, one old but also refitted and fully operational Liberty, the one mentioned by my "father".

Gilbert Leloup, informs me with evident pride that V4RU is one of the smallest – if not the smaller – company that can do extensive repairs and refits on DropShips. When asked about what kind of DropShip the biggest one was as it was obviously not an Union, he informed me that it was a Black Eagle, "the grand daddy of 'mech carriers". This one had like all our hardware (including the two DroST in the other hangers) been fully retrofitted with current tech and were even sometime used to deliver goods from V4RU or VMI to other planets.

In one of the repair shops, a Marauder, in the colors of the Taurian Defense Force, could be seen in the middle of the delicate and very complex operation of replacing his engine. Very few places can do that, outside of the full 'Mech factories. Clearly V4RU is more capable than I have ever thought.

Initially I had thought that V4RU was a small company, but oh boy, have I been wrong. Yes, it is small if you compare it with the giants of the military industry like the local VMI or the much bigger Defiance Industries, but it is more a medium one than a small one, very well equipped, staffed with competent people and more importantly, it seems profitable.

Lise Bonnel, quietly points out to me with a disturbing sultry voice, that the DroST IIb is regularly used as an escort DropShip loaded with some platoons of marines and the small craft carrying them are older Intrepid Assault Craft, well armed and loaded with a platoon of said marines if necessary. Her troops have plenty of experience in anti-piracy missions.

Then, I ask Suchet about what is Recover department is doing. To my surprise he answers that they have extensive databases on the whole human sphere (Inner Sphere + Periphery and even bits about the Deep Periphery) with their focus being on old battlefields and their post battle cleaning. If they find info that some were not extensively cleaned, they send a team to that location to see if they can obtain (Recover) some usable piece of military hardware. This is where everything in my company comes. He adds with a glint in the eye that they have just found a probable location for some Taurian and/or Star League wreckage from a ground battle that could be usable. When asked why no team had been sent, he simply answered that the operation has not yet been approved by Mr Smith while looking at him with a not friendly face.

Mr Smith informs me that most of these operations are just a waste of funds and time and until now they are not a priority. In other words "I don't plan on doing anything but if the new owner takes responsibility for it, so be it."

Not wanting to decide now as so far what I have seen is only old hardware which makes me less and less excited in keeping that company, after all they don't have a real mercenary unit, I temporized and asked both to send me their estimates and that I would decide later.

Meanwhile the tour ended, and we arrived at the administrative building where the research department is located. It is right then that I was struck by a crazy idea and turning to Suchet, I asked him if in their 'extensive databases' they had references to a DropShip class named Argo. After a few moments Suchet answered that thanks to their access to the '3010 Complete Delranes Black Sea Encyclopedia', the most comprehensive database of all black sea ships, if said DropShip class ever existed, he would find it. Soon one of is subordinates confirmed that two DropShips of that class had indeed been built in 2762, the Argo and the Myrmidon but that the Argo was lost during its maiden trip and that the Myrmidon had been broken down for parts before being its full completion.

With tremendous effort I controlled my expression… maybe it was possible… I refrained the impulse to ask about Axylus. Instead I simply asked to get full access to all the combined databases in my soon to be office.

After that came the mandatory part about what my intentions were regarding the company. Good question. However I managed to calmed down their fears that I could sell it for some easy money. I concluded by saying that for now I wanted V4RU to work like before while I take some time to analyze the books to get an idea of the profitability of the company, giving authorization to launch the operation asked by Suchet will have to wait until I get a clear picture. However what I knew but couldn't tell them is that if I found out what I will be looking for in the cartographic database, I would really need to create a military unit before hunting down the legendary Argo and its treasures.