Chương 70: Book 3 - Chapter 8 A

"Got a minute?" Jennifer asked, after a rare attendance to my families buffet breakfast.

"I need to ask you about a couple of things."

"Sure," I told her.

"Your office downstairs?"

"Yes, please. Ten minutes?" she asked.

"Yeah. Ten minutes," I agreed. I settled in the chair in front of her desk nine minutes later.

"So, what's the news?" I asked her.

"Several things," Jennifer replied.

"First, Steve Jobs's sale of his Apple shares to you has completed. It came to $129. 8 million. Did you want those shares in your name, or are they going to the Cook Island Investments holding company?"

"Cook Island Investments, in the Caymans. It's making the purchase, not me," I replied. She made a note.

"I have two things from George Lucas: he's offering something called Pixar for $6 million and separately, the entirety of the Star Wars franchise for $225 million. It doesn't include any physical assets beyond the IP, film copies and current contracts." I wanted to clarify to ensure I understood.

"So the name Star Wars and all the intellectual property attached, as well as copies of all the film from the movies?"

"Yes, including shots made but not used. There are hundreds of merchandise contracts, including something called 'The All-New Ewoks.' It's a TV show scheduled for Saturday mornings next year."

"Tell him I accept but I want you to ensure the original films, negatives and scripts are moved immediately into specialized protective storage." Jennifer gave me a serious look.

"The acquisition of the IP is one thing, John, but the $225 million price tag is questionable. I don't think it's worth that, not in the current state. You are buying three feature films and some questionable television shows. There is no studio, no production house, with no one available to manage the thousands of licensing agreements. It's a massive, inert asset. Who handles the legal defense and the day-to-day management of this IP?"

"It'll take time to sort out," I agreed.

"And I have no intention of pursuing the current cartoons in production. The value isn't in what is being made. The value is in the long-term, tightly controlled vision. The IP is a platform for experiences, not just movies."

"The contract mentions Disney Star Tours," she noted, looking at her documents.

"Is that what you mean by experiences?"

"Exactly. That's a revolution in theme park experiences. That ride will be a smash hit and will keep the property alive in the public consciousness even without new films.

"The IP is worth the price provided it is treated like a priceless relic, not a disposable commodity." I paused, letting the scope of the purchase sink in.

"The real genius of Star Wars isn't the three films, it's the size of the canvas. The story needs structure, a grand plan that stretches across generations. I'm not just buying licensing contracts. I'm buying a nascent mythology."

"A mythology that currently risks being watered down by every third-rate toy company and cartoon studio that buys a license," Jennifer countered, crossing her arms.

"I see your point about control. But managing that control requires a dedicated organization. Lucasfilm had George Lucas. What do we have?"

"We will create a Story Group," I explained, pulling a pad of paper toward me and sketching a diagram.

"This group will be small, centralized and will act as the absolute governing body for all Star Wars narratives. They enforce the canon. Every novel, every comic, every new piece of media must pass through them to ensure it fits the overarching, long-term plan. This IP is unique because of its ability to be a blank slate for other stories, the genius of Episode 4 is that the story goes in two directions. But that requires discipline.

I'll need to hire authors, historians and theologians, not studio executives, to manage the scope." She was still writing furiously, not looking up.

"What are you jotting down?" I asked.

"I'm calculating how many times I need to clone myself," she replied, without missing a beat.

"I want to be a partner at the firm, John. You know that. But if I am to manage all of Star Wars, and your other existing patents, plus the new ones that come out of your lab, the time commitment alone will completely monopolize my time and my resources at the firm. You're my only client, but I'm not enough to handle all of this even with the excellent support I get from Dallas."

"There's nobody who's as good as you," I said simply. She met my gaze, then gave a sharp nod.

"Then I need to double the number of people I planned to hire. I will need to set up my own office immediately—staffed with paralegals, licensing agents and accountants—to manage your holdings exclusively. I will be running the entire operation on your behalf while still working at the firm."

"Agreed," I confirmed.

"Get as many as you need. I trust you, Jennifer. Use my power of attorney and make things happen. It's not like I'm short of money."

"Do I need to know where this money comes from?" she asked.

"Since this is a purchase made by me, it'll be funded by a no-interest loan from Cook Island Investments."

"No, I mean, where does all the money from Cook Island Investments come from?"

"There are two primary funds held by Cook Island Investments. I sold a few diamonds and Grandpa got a big unexpected inheritance. We're keeping it all offshore so he can grow it without tax liabilities. So when we use those funds what we buy either has to go offshore, or be a loan from there.

"I've been helping him invest this inheritance, much like I helped with Grandma's lottery winnings. It's been growing really well."

"I wondered if you were selling diamonds," she said, and leaned forward suddenly curious.

"How many have you actually made, John, and how much are you getting for them? They're large, right?"

"I've produced about fifty thousand carats so far," I explained, lowering my voice slightly, though we were alone.

"They are being processed and distributed in the one to five-carat range, with about ten percent of the batch hitting that optimal five-carat size. The key is that nobody knows they are manufactured. They are chemically and physically identical to mined diamonds, and they pass every standard test." Jennifer whistled softly.

"Fifty thousand carats. That is an astronomical number. How much is that worth?" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Diamond prices are recovering thanks to De Beers monopoly control. My inventory is worth over a billion dollars at current prices. I've stopped production for now. I'm doling them out slowly through multiple cutouts over the next two years so that the market doesn't notice."

"I understand now why you said you're not short of money," she said.

"Lightbulb money isn't enough to cover what you've been buying."

"I'm going to give you access to those accounts so you can use those funds for my purchases. Grandpa only has about $400 million in Cook Island Investments. My account has nearly $2 billion. I've been using it to execute various stock and commodity trades and it's grown over the last year."

"That's not all from diamonds then?" she asked.

"No. If it was from diamonds I would have flooded the market, destroying the value and causing another crash. I'll do that eventually, just to kill the blood diamond trade, but not yet."

"So where does the money come from?" she asked.

"Think of it as anonymous investors who have since passed on without heirs."

"That sounds very sketchy," she said frowning. I smiled instead.

"That's why it's offshore. That's my war chest for the next two years. I'm going to be making some very targeted investments and pulling together deals like I did with Axis. That was just practice."

"Okay. I need to know what you're buying then, so I can be ready. What else, John?"

"I want GA Technologies from Chevron. I'd like it as soon as possible."

"Is that a Cook Island purchase?" she asked.

"No. It's too sensitive a company. It has to have American ownership and American funds to buy it." She looked up with a slight frown.

"How much are you prepared to spend on it, and where is the money coming from?"

"$60 million? Whatever it takes. Preferably less. I need General Atomics."

"You don't have that much cash, John. Not in accounts in the US anyway."

"I'll need a short-term loan. I'll put up my Corning income stream to pay for it."

"I have the latest projection from Corning. Your graphene water filter felt," she said and paused making a face.

"Wow, that's a tongue twister. Is expected to generate $100 million in revenue for you next year. GE is marketing the moonlight white street lamps using graphene from Corning. The other two big names are coming along as well. Philips will be signed on by the end of the month. You're looking at more than sixty million just from street lamps next year."

"That will work then. A loan shouldn't be a problem. Go ahead and arrange that please." She made more notes.

"Is there anything in particular you are going to do with General Atomics?"

"The lab upstairs doesn't meet my needs anymore. I'll transfer everything over to GA. They'll give me the equipment, lab techs and better security I need. I'll also be starting a new company under GA that'll take a lot of my time." She made another note.

"I'll check the banks about a loan. When do you plan on approaching Chevron about GA?"

"I'd like you to get that ball rolling right away, the sooner the better," I told her. She gave a little growl in frustration. It was cute.

"This is why I need more lead time. I can get things done faster if I have more time to prepare," she complained.

"Oh, I just remembered. I promised Grandma to buy her a Frank Lloyd Wright house next summer too. Then there's Pixar, which I've committed $5 million to immediately after buying Lucas's share. That will require significant investment for years as their technology is not yet advanced enough to produce a movie.

"Anytime any part owner of Pixar needs cash, or any part of Pixar comes up for sale, buy it. I want to try for full ownership, though it's going to take years." She made more notes.

"Thank you. The more I know in advance the better I can handle these things. What's the new company at GA that's going to take up your time?"

"Wireless cable."

"That's an oxymoron, John. How do you provide cable service without wires?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Giant tethered balloons acting as broadcast towers."

"That's such a crazy idea. Will that even work?" Jennifer asked.

"Sure. You'll see. The wireless cable company will operate as a division of GA at first. Then I will spin it out when it starts attracting acquisition and merger interest. Before the end of 1986, I'm going to want to buy Marvel Comics. So you can start working on that early. It'll be a great buy. I'll use them to create the first of the new Star Wars comics. It'll create a foundation for the universe and be a test bed for the Story Group. The universe will be ready when it is finally time to do more movies."

She made another note. Then she gave me a serious look.

"So what are your priorities for next year?"

"GA Technologies is important to me. Besides the big balloons, they are doing some cool supercomputer stuff at the University of California in San Diego. I want to be a part of that. GA also has the technology and staff to really serve as an R&D developer for the stuff I come up with in my lab."

"Like the diamond?"

"Like the diamond," I agreed.

"Lots of potential there, beyond just jewelry."

"Corning is still trying to figure out what they are going to do with diamond technology. They haven't made any offer to acquire the patents yet. You are now up to twenty percent in ownership of Corning. They agreed to the exclusive graphene sheet production technology."

"That's fine. I've got a great use for it at GA. I'm sure Corning will want a license at some point. Unlike the others it won't be exclusive. It'll take Corning a bit to figure out how to make diamond coated pots and pans. There are so many better uses out there for diamond, though."

"Why would people want diamond coated pans?" she asked.

"Teflon has toxic fumes when it gets hot—which is a shame because practically every use gets it hot. Diamond coated pots and pans don't. They are also non-stick and last practically forever because they don't scratch, even if you use a metal spatula."

"Do I suggest that to them?" she asked, making another note.

"If they haven't figured it out on their own, ask them for custom sets of pots and pans next year. It'll be a great Christmas present for Mom and Grandma. If they can't figure it out, let me know. I'll sell them the production technology to grow diamond on steel and aluminum." At the beginning of 1986, we got to enjoy another fire tornado for New Year's. The air was very still that night, so it went even higher into a clear night sky.

I watched from Mom's garden, as we had sold tickets for the rooftop bar and it had sold out for New Year's. It was comforting to know that these prototypes would someday let me build tornadoes that let the planet breathe. On January 1st, I took the time to write more letters. It was a tedious task, but one that I looked forward to. My first letter had been with a pen, envelopes and stamps borrowed from my Dad's desk.

Now I simply printed them and mailed them with no return address using the mailbox in the lobby downstairs. The flash flood in Tulsa had been a rash and urgent attempt that had worked. The moral weight of the future was too heavy to carry alone, but too dangerous to share. A letter gave me the time required to use the smallest possible lever to achieve the largest necessary outcome. Sometimes it was just a simple request to a police officer to be somewhere at a certain time on a certain day.

Little things like that were enough. I'd sent hundreds, many internationally. I knew my letters were being tracked already. It didn't matter. Two years of letters had established I only cared about saving lives. I knew I was under surveillance as well. That also didn't matter. It actually helped as those in power who knew, made sure the information was taken seriously. Watching me protected me. Soon I'd have real contact with those who knew. Either way, it was especially nice to see my previous letters working.

The headlines in the newspaper that showed up in January made me smile every time I saw them.

'NASA endangers astronauts to please Congress.'

'Thiokol: "We told NASA, they didn't listen!"''Successful Challenger mission!'

'First teacher in Space!'