Chapter 21: Pleasure doing business

A week had passed since the gel had been extracted from the temporary production facility on Frog Brothel Island. Initially things had gone well, the hand off was smooth and Noah signed all relevant documents pertaining to the release of the gel into the custody of the U.N. The plan was for it to be offloaded in Singapore where it would then be transported by air to New York. This was a seriously expensive and wasteful method of transportation; however, it was necessary as global pressure mounted on the U.N for the gel to be packaged and distributed to each country. Typically, it would take about a month for the gel to reach its destination via traditional sea routes. Both China and Japan had kindly offered to process the gel on their soils but was rejected vigorously by the US and her allies.

Another factor that went into changing the transportation plan was the risk of pirates. Only a few hours after the ship had left, it was attacked by an unknown group of suspiciously well-armed mercenaries. Fingers were pointed and blame was pushed around by delegates on twitter and on TV, but ultimately the matter was put to rest by an unorthodox temporary alliance between Japan, Australia, and the Chinese navies, which set off destroyers to protect the ship on its route to Singapore after blowing the pirates out of the water.

There were no issues once the gel had reached land and it was quickly pumped onto heavily guarded trucks and escorted to the Paya Lebar Air Base. Awaiting its arrival were two C-5M’s, the largest transportation aircraft the US military had available. Though the two planes weren’t enough on their own, they would be rotated out by incoming planes that would land once these two had set off on their way, the process repeating until all the gel was gone.

Throughout the whole affair, there was media from all countries following along with the developments, many of them were taken along for the ride on the warships protecting the gel, while some trailed behind, staying far away from the overpowered war ships littering the area. The whole ordeal would create an entirely new media spectacle, further increasing interest in Noah and his alien merchandise. The U.N released a statement that due to the high demand for the gel, and the limited supply, further pre-orders would be halted until further negotiations with Noah could be scheduled. While this was obviously unpopular with the civilian population, the world governments agreed almost unanimously with this decision in the short term.

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Noah sat in a large conference room in New York as he fiddled with the cuffs on his red and black suit. It was a new outfit that Gaia had decided looked good on him. She was right, but after wearing the outfit given to him by Mr Morris, his standards for fabric had gone up a few notches. He was here today to make his future plans known to the core U.N member states, those which had veto powers, as they effectively represented the actual power base of the organisation, with other countries essentially just being allies of one or more of these key global powers. Although Japan and Germany did not have these veto powers, as the third and fourth largest economies they had earned a seat at the table.

Noah stood up and breathed in and out, his halo pulsating alongside his breathes synchronously.

“Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that my presence here has caused unnecessary disturbances in global events.” A few polite chuckles reverberated throughout the room.

“I wanted to reiterate to you all that my goals here are not to weaken or fracture the bonds which you have developed over time, but to strengthen them. I want to work alongside you, your governments, and your people to ensure global prosperity can be achieved. I have great admiration for the many achievements’ humanity has accomplished. However, we are all well aware of the many issues facing this planet, from climate change to wealth inequality to food insecurity. I am not claiming I can solve these issues. It is my belief that even with infinite resources, if the system is not built to distribute resources fairly, then there will always be those that are disadvantaged.” The delegates watched on seriously as Noah opened up his inventory and pulled out a sample jar of rejuvenating gel.

“I’m sure if I went the normal route, I could make a lot of money selling this stuff. But that is not my goal. I will be compensated by the Void regardless of how much money I keep for myself. Therefore, my proposal is simple, I will formally establish a company here on Earth, where countries will be allocated a share of the company based off population size, up to 49% of ownership.” President Williams stood up alarmed at the revelation and attempted to speak up before being interrupted by Noah.

“I know what you’re going to say President Williams but please let me finish. Gaia and I have decided to headquarter the company initially within the United States, as the investment and regulatory landscape will provide us with the healthiest and most sustainable base for future growth.” Now it was the Chinese presidents’ turn to stand up in protest.

“In light of the political situation we have brought about a compromise. The US government will only be allocated half of its initial investment allocation due to the potential economic benefits brought by hosting the company. The forfeited half will be evenly distributed across all other nations who choose to join. Additionally, the US will agree to donate 75% of the tax revenue from the company to the U.N, where it will be held in a separate humanitarian aid fund for supporting the development of impoverished countries.” The leaders and delegates in the room all took time to process the information, the US and Chinese presidents carefully weighing the pros and cons. While it looked like the US was losing out somewhat, overall, they were the real winners as having an alien company on American soil was an advantage they couldn’t give up, even if they lost direct control of the company through sacrificing their ownership percentage.

The Chinese president shook his head before speaking. “Mr Valentine, after listening to your proposal we can’t help but think this shows unnecessary favouritism towards the United States, even with the conditions you mentioned.”

Noah grimaced slightly at the obvious rebuttal. “You’re correct to an extent, but we have to choose somewhere and if development goes smoothly, I’m sure there will be an opportunity for the company to develop in China and other countries.” Noah made eye contact with the other countries delegates.

“And besides, product distribution will also be allocated by shareholder nationality. So, the more a country owns, the more product they will receive, which will also contribute massively should individuals choose to re-sell their goods to people from other countries. Another thing, as with any free market, the shares will be listed on the New York stock exchange where they can be bought and sold. Countries can also choose to distribute or sell their shares to domestic companies or entities at their leisure. The only thing I ask is that a disclosure is sent to the company as to which nationality a shareholder or company represents, to ensure smooth operations in the future. Oh, and one last thing, 90% of the profits generated by my own 51% holdings will be used for operational and developmental purposes.”

After Noah finished his presentation, he took questions from the group. Some attempted to re-open discussion however Noah was firm in his decision to allocate shares based off population. It also helped ensure the balance of power with India taking up the second largest volume of shares, placating the worried US presidents’ concerns. The rest of the day was spent with a room full of lawyers working on the initial draft of the complex and obscure company setup, as they worked around many laws that would get in the way. The ones that couldn’t be worked around such as foreign ownership laws would be bulldozed through by President Williams executive orders, and if that didn’t work, congress was unified to ensure that Noah’s company would set up shop on US soil, so there was little interference.

“So, Mr Valentine, do you have a name for the company?” The French delegate asked in heavily accented English, despite him knowing Noah could understand French, he was obviously asking the question many had on their minds.

“Yes actually, the name is rather fitting given my goals for the company.” Noah smiled and decided to add a little showmanship to his answer.

“Friends, I would like to thank you for your investment and support for my company… our company, Eden.” Noah said as he activated his Celestial flight ability. The golden wings illuminating the room as Noah hovered a foot off the ground, causing everyone in the rooms jaws to fall through the floor, one of the lawyers dropping a glass cup, the shattering of glass only adding to the moment.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Noah smiled, barely holding in his laughter.

Damn, I think Gaia’s rubbing off on me, the look on their faces is priceless!