Chapter 691
When a Rogue Meets a Robber
Since the 1980s, India has been dreaming of space superiority, fantasizing about using its excellent satellite technology to completely overwhelm several neighboring countries and thus establish itself as a regional leader.
But thirty years have passed, and facts have proven time and again that Third Brother is most adept at fantasy.
Left with no other choice, India could only rely on another of its strengths in military technology: purchasing from abroad to create a hodgepodge of foreign-made equipment.
The series of satellites purchased at great expense have finally arrived.
In the eyes of Abhishek and others, the 10,000-ton cargo ship brought not only satellites, but also India's hope for takeoff.
India will surpass its neighbors to become the undisputed leader of Asia.
Abhishek picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered, "Unload!"
Hundreds of well-trained workers quickly boarded the ship and unloaded containers one by one using gantry cranes.
The captain of the Korean company in charge of cargo transport came over to meet with Abhishek.
Abhishek also boarded the cargo ship and was somewhat surprised to see that the ship was full of Korean-looking employees.
He had been to West Coast Tech many times, but he hadn't seen many Koreans there.
Abhishek called the captain over and asked, "Didn't the West Coast Technology Company's technicians come with the ship?"
The captain handed over the delivery order and said, "West Coast Technology has entrusted us with this business. We are responsible for delivering the goods to you. All the containers carrying the satellites have been unloaded."
Someone came over to report: "Boss, the goods are correct. They contain satellites, and each container has a West Coast Technology seal on it."
Abhishek nodded slightly and pointed to the delivery note: "Receive it."
The subordinate had no choice but to bite the bullet and sign his name on the delivery slip.
Abhishek confirmed that there was no problem with the quantity of goods and then disembarked with his men.
At his command, a long line of containers left the dock and headed straight for Mumbai's military airport.
The Ministry of Defence, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and ISRO had already prepared warehouses and laboratories there, and more than a dozen professional teams were already in place.
Abhishek exchanged a few words with Professor Artur, the head of the science team, and three shipping containers were immediately delivered to the laboratory.
Professor Artur appeared quite excited: "The communication and survey satellites used by Starlink are already top-notch in Europe and America. Now that you have brought them to India, India's aerospace technology will surely take off."
Abhishek said with a smile, "Professor, we're counting on you for everything in reverse engineering."
Artur laughed: "Don't worry, with the finished product right in front of us, if we still can't master the technology, we should all resign."
That's what they said, but Abhishek still had doubts, based on the Tejas fighter jet and Arjun tank that were reverse-engineered...
Forget it, just don’t mention it.
Inside the cleanroom at the center of the laboratory, technicians wearing protective suits opened the sealed container.
The brand-new satellite was unloaded from the container and placed on the alloy rack in the center.
The Indian side needs to conduct necessary power-on inspections and obtain various communication technology parameters in order to collect data and prepare for the subsequent disassembly, reassembly, and reverse engineering work.
Artur looked at Abhishek, who nodded, and then said to the technicians inside the microphone, "Start powering on."
The relevant operating procedures were sent to Mumbai by West Coast Technology half a month ago, and they have already mastered them.
The technicians powered it on and tested the solar panels to confirm that there were no problems.
Next, the strength of the satellite body and its sealing and confidentiality were checked, and the results were absolutely top-notch.
Abhishek stood outside the second-floor isolation window, nodding frequently as he watched. The satellite provided by West Coast Technologies was indeed a top-of-the-line product.
For a moment, he even considered whether he should pay a portion of the remaining balance for the sake of long-term cooperation.
But considering the billions of dollars involved, including the benefits he and his family could receive, he immediately abandoned this unrealistic idea.
No matter how good a satellite is, it's not as important as one's own interests.
According to the contract between the two parties, the Indians were required to pay the final payment upon the arrival of the cargo ship.
But Abhishek simply pretended that the clause did not exist.
The tests were successfully completed, and the testing has now reached the critical technical level.
It involves satellite orbit determination and maneuvering technologies, communication technologies, and core control software.
The technician's face changed, his expression becoming unusually grave, as if some unexpected situation had occurred.
The relevant information was quickly reported to Artur via his headset.
Abhishek asked, "What happened?"
“Several core functions of the satellite are not responding.” Artur turned off the intercom and said, “Technicians suspect that the turbulence during transportation may have caused internal malfunctions and have requested that the satellite be disassembled ahead of schedule.”
The original plan was to disassemble and reverse engineer the three satellites that were brought into the laboratory.
It's just a little bit earlier now.
After a brief consideration, Abhishek agreed: "Okay, I'll grant the authorization."
He then signed the authorization document.
The technicians inside the dustproof isolation chamber began their work.
Artur and Abhishek both thought it was a minor issue and didn't pay much attention to it, going to the nearby lounge for coffee.
After a while, hurried footsteps were heard outside. The technical engineer in charge of disassembly, without even taking off his dust suit, practically ran into the break room.
Artur put down his coffee cup and frowned, "Why are you in such a panic?"
The engineer quickly said, "We disassembled the satellite and found that it wasn't a malfunction or a software problem, but rather that the control software simply wasn't installed."
As a technician, he added, "Not only was there no software installed, but all the core internal components were also empty."
Abhishek seemed confused: "Vacant? What do you mean?"
The engineer explained, "Several of the satellite's most important core components were not installed."
Abhishek slammed his coffee cup on the table with a bang: "How is this possible? How could this happen?"
Artur sensed something was wrong and quickly said, "I suggest we disassemble the other two satellites and see if the situation is the same."
The engineer said, "I'll be right there."
The dustproof isolation chamber was bustling with activity again.
Abhishek and Artur could no longer sit still, so they went to the window together to check the situation inside.
The latter determined that the situation was unusual and said, "We'd better prepare for the worst."
“There have never been any problems with our past collaborations with West Coast Technologies.” Abhishek still harbored some hope: “It’s possible that there are issues with individual products.” Artur fell silent, recalling their usual practice: final payments were always something that only existed on paper.
All illusions were shattered.
The engineer went up to the second floor again and reported to the two men: "The other two satellites are also missing all their core components."
Artur had to consider the worst-case scenario: "The rest of the satellites will probably be in the same situation."
Shattered by his illusions, Abhishek had to accept reality. He was furious: "These damn Americans have trampled on international rules and have no basic business integrity whatsoever!"
His mind raced, and he began to consider the worst-case scenario. He took out his phone and called his deputy: "Come over here right now."
An officer belonging to the Indian Ministry of Defence strode into the lounge.
Abhishek ordered: "Take your men to the port of Mumbai immediately and detain the cargo ship carrying the satellite, along with all the crew members."
"Yes, sir." The officer quickly left.
Artur cautioned, "What about the other satellites?"
Abhishek looked at the engineer and said, “Check the condition of all the other satellites carefully.”
The engineer nodded and quickly left the lounge.
Abhishek then said to Artur, "Have someone prepare a technical report. Once the satellite inspection is complete, you and I will jointly report it to New Delhi. This incident cannot be concealed."
Artur, who works in a technical field, was well aware of the seriousness of the matter and said, "I'll have people make preparations right away."
Abhishek was the only one left in the lounge.
Abhishek reached for his coffee cup, and for some reason, his hand started to tremble slightly.
Because he was recalling the deal with the United States.
If things are as bad as we imagine, how do we control the situation?
Final payment? Other trade orders with West Coast Technologies have all been paid in full due to the enormous value of these satellites.
Applying pressure at the government level? It seems like all Americans are inherently robbers.
Should we resort to the law?
The contract stipulates the place of suit; I think it's Los Angeles.
Then confiscate all of West Coast Tech's assets in India!
Abhishek took out his phone and called the governments of Mumbai and Maharashtra, urging them to take immediate action to control West Coast Technologies' Indian branch and investment projects in Mumbai.
Only if we can control these issues can we then slowly negotiate with West Coast technology companies.
Abhishek then thought of something else: Anil Ambani, whom he had just met in Los Angeles a few days ago, might be the source of some solutions.
His emotions gradually stabilized.
…………
Los Angeles, Coast Building.
Henderson went up to the sixteenth floor and met Hawke.
He handed over a signed fax document and said, "The satellites have all been delivered, and the Indian side has officially accepted them."
Hawke took it and glanced at it: "What's India's reaction so far?"
Henderson, who had left a hidden informant there, said, "On my way here, I received news that a unit belonging to the Mumbai military airport had arrived at the port of Mumbai and seized the Korean cargo ship."
He speculated, "The Indians will probably put pressure on us with their ships and personnel."
Hawke wasn't surprised: "Just follow the normal procedures."
Henderson said, "We have a normal freight contract with the South Korean shipping company. It's a purely commercial cooperation between the two sides. Even if the Indians hold the ship and the people hostage, it's South Korea that will come out to meet them."
Hawke cautioned, "The necessary protests, condemnations, and normal legal procedures should all be followed."
“Yes,” Henderson continued, “Informants within the Mumbai and Maharashtra governments have also sent word that Abhishek has contacted their superiors, and the two sides are coordinating their actions to target our subsidiaries and investment projects in India.”
Hawke inquired about the situation over there: "Have all the people and funds been withdrawn?"
Henderson explained in detail: "All of our investments in India are funded by loans from Indian banks. These loans have been gradually transferred out over the years. The factories that have been completed and those under construction were all financed by Indian companies. We'll just have to deal with the disputes later."
He continued, “Gilberto and Juan’s entire team has returned to Los Angeles on two business jets. I gave them a long leave and instructed them not to leave North America. The staff remaining in the Indian branch are all local employees from Mumbai. The company’s office building is leased, and most of the office equipment is second-hand. All confidential documents have been burned.”
Hawke was quite satisfied: "Well done. If the Indians contact you, keep negotiating with them."
Henderson said, "I will beat them to it and release the signed contracts to the world's media, putting the Indians in a completely passive position."
“Okay.” Hawke not only wanted to make money, but also to occupy the moral high ground: “The Indians must take the blame for everything.”
Henderson said with a laugh, "Indians have to carry it even if they don't want to."
He considered another matter: "What if the Indians pay the balance..."
Even if the possibility were to be infinitesimally small, Hawke had made preparations: "Surrey Satellite has prepared technology from the 1980s, and NASA authorities can attest that this is the most advanced satellite technology."
Henderson was well aware that the group had bound many people and forces together through projects such as the AI Manhattan Project, the return to the moon project, and the Mars landing project.
…………
It was completely dark in Mumbai, but the laboratory was brightly lit. Multiple technical teams had disassembled all the satellites and compiled the relevant information for the chief engineer.
The engineer looked at the statistics and felt a wave of dizziness.
He practically ran up to the second floor and said to Artur and Abhishek, "All the satellites have been dismantled, and every single one of them is missing a core component!"
Abhishek was already mentally prepared and remained quite calm, saying, "I understand."
Artur waved to the engineer, telling him to go down first, and instructed him, "Make sure the people below keep their mouths shut, the news is not to be leaked, and no one is allowed to go out."
The engineer nodded and quickly left.
Abhishek then recalled what his northern neighbor often said, and the meaning resonated deeply with him. He exclaimed, "The Americans are robbers!"
Artur said, "Fortunately, we took timely countermeasures."
But before the two could even feel relieved, two calls came in quick succession to their side.
Abhishek's face turned extremely pale.
Artur asked, "Is the situation bad?"
Abhishek answered simply: "The cargo ship belongs to the Koreans and has only an employment relationship with West Coast Technology; all the North American staff at West Coast Technology's Indian branch in Mumbai have returned to Los Angeles for their annual meeting, leaving only a few local employees; all the funds they invested in Indian technology projects came from Indian loans, and the parts that have already been built were financed by Indian construction companies."
"These bastards!" Artur exclaimed in fury. "They're real robbers!"
Abhishek knew very well that he bore a great responsibility, and said, "I need to go to Los Angeles." (End of Chapter)