Corporate Relations
Teller grins at you with a tinge of sardonic amusement, "Two questions to answer, and the first one is what you're going to call it." He tosses folder on the desk in your direction, stiff brown covering marked with the seal of the Department of Defense and the signatures of the high and mighty. Inside of it there are corporate emblems brightly colored and proud, as if to remind you of who will really run the establishment.
You still can't help but smile a little. "It worked, then."
"It did." Teller's hands fumble for another cigarette, lighting it with practiced efficiency before he speaks again. "The Honeywell boys want in on the whole computing angle. They were talking about a partnership with Raytheon before I talked them out of it, and the Westinghouse angle was even easier."
"I know," you say, leafing through the contract and seeing that most of the wording that you'd suggested when pitching the idea of a research consortium is intact. "Westinghouse wants that reactor money. They're banking on nuclear being the future, cheap power for the masses and overcharging the government for it. One mention of the AEC and their plans to nationalize that made Westinghouse fall in line."
Teller rasps out a laugh, remembering those meetings with Westinghouse execs in their shiny black suits with clipboards and compulsive note-taking as if to record every word. "Mm. Still, that means that Honeywell and Westinghouse are calling the shots initially. They have right of first refusal on all IP and you can't sell exclusive licenses. You're stuck, David. Back in the industrial wasteland where you came from." Rich words coming from the scientist sitting in the Old War Department with filing cabinets and office furniture suited for someplace better, you think, but one look at Teller's lined face and baggy eyes makes you keep that thought to yourself. Whatever the project he's working on with Ulam, it better be good. The government won't let him back in the halls of power otherwise.
"It paid me well enough." You shrug as if unconcerned, already having thought through a backup plan. The old bastard in front of you isn't the only one that knows how to play the bureaucracy, even if he
is better at it. "I can always negotiate with others and get the consortium expanded. I have enough support on the governing board to do that."
"As long as I back you." Teller is on the governing board, the great ungainly old Hungarian scientist as your main backstop, and you're damn sure that he won't stop reminding you of that. "I back you up and that means whichever pencil pusher the government sends will back you up. That means you outvote the Honeywell and Westinghouse chairs."
"And add another one." The subtext is of course that you won't need him as much at that point, but all that you get from that is a smile of yellowing teeth, amusement from someone who's negotiated Washington and come out with most of his soul.
Teller waves a hand dismissively, cigarette smoke trailing it and drifting up to the vents in the ceiling past the harshly glowing bulbs and institutional beige walls. "That's as may be, and you'd better get used to learning to talk nicely. I can't carry the can for you here, David."
"I drew up those plans and did almost all the talking." You're almost tempted to call him
Ed just to see how Professor Edward Teller reacts. Self preservation makes you hold your tongue. "I can hold my own. And anyways, you want to see what we do with reactors as much as you want to work at Livermore. Privatization is how making something commonplace works, here in America."
"So you say." His accent thickens a little as he says that,
say coming out in a way that reminds you of Bela Lugosi and
Dracula. "But we're talking in circles. First things first. What d'you want to call it?"
Pick a name: Make it as shady-defense-thinktank as you can:
[]United Technologies
[]Science Applications International
[]Liberty Research Institute
[]Write In
Teller nods at your answer, impatient to move on to the next question. It comes as expected, words tumbling out of the old scientist's lips as he switches to a topic closer to his heart than what you'll call your agency. "What are you aiming to focus on? Your initial business will be with Honeywell and Westinghouse, but that leaves a bit of room. They want reactors and computing, but that still leaves you with a few more areas to hire on in. Not as if you'll have just them as clients forever."
"Yep," you say, aware that the sort of formality that Teller is more used to makes the Americanism more galling. "If I stay beholden to just them then we're sunk. We diversify, yes, but that means using me and maybe a few subordinates to do the initial proposals. The staffing can concentrate on the corporate priorities. Makes them feel loved."
"Is this why we buy gifts for anniversaries, I wonder." The jibe glances off you as Teller scribbles something on a piece of paper before tucking it away and turning back to you, "So what's it to be, David? I can give you a hand in justifying things as long as you tell me what you're aiming to work on."
Pick two of the below bonus specializations. This will be your PC's areas of expertise:
[]Automatic Control: This is something used for aircraft autopilots, missile guidance, ships and virtually any other machinery. It is, however, very theoretical. You're not going to be doing much manufacturing and testing with a mathematical controls background, so that makes the ironmongery side of things harder. Well….missile guidance is lucrative anyhow, you guess.
[]Radar: More precisely worded as electromagnetics and applied EM theory, you've worked with the electronics giants that made American radar systems and are in a position to improve on what they did. There's always money in radar…
[]Electronics: You've worked in the hardware side of computing as well as the logic design bits for computing circuitry. That means you can mess about with new devices and stay abreast of what happens to be the fastest growing field in America.
AN: Last char creation update. After this, Turn 1 and hiring your two department heads.
