After finalizing their plans and bidding farewell to John and his family, who politely declined to stay for dinner, Castle seized the opportunity to strategize before the arrival of three parties interested in his satellite technology. Although Gianna had agreed to take charge of negotiations as Castle's business representative and the new CEO of "Castle Laboratory," Castle still needed to significantly scale down the standards of his technology—particularly the rapid orbital adjustment and high-capacity energy storage systems—before presenting them.
The satellite he used personally was outfitted with technology far ahead of its time, so advanced that it couldn't be revealed to the public. Even the conceptual framework of his designs differed greatly from current mainstream approaches. If he didn't create a downgraded "monkey version," the technology would cause an uproar.
Over the next few days, Castle immersed himself in his mechanical lab, racing to modify and simplify his technology before the arrival of representatives from Lockheed Martin, Hughes, and NASA. He aimed to deliver a version only marginally superior to existing technologies.
No one was more pleased by Castle's dedication to his lab work than Beckett, now nearly three months pregnant. Seeing her husband finally engaged in a serious task was a relief. She much preferred this to his previous antics, such as obsessively preparing strange pregnancy meals for her.
However, Beckett was also shocked by the truth Castle had revealed to her after consulting with Gianna. Despite not fully understanding the intricacies of technological research, Beckett grasped the gravity of Castle's abilities. His capacity to bypass technological barriers and rapidly develop solutions posed a significant risk if discovered by the wrong people.
Knowing that Castle had recognized these dangers and taken Gianna's advice to fortify their defenses, Beckett finally breathed easier. She wholeheartedly supported Castle's new approach, grateful that he could now avoid embarrassing himself outside her precinct.
Still, she didn't expect Castle's newfound discipline to last forever. His childlike curiosity would inevitably lead him to trouble again. Beckett knew her husband well; his current seriousness was a temporary reaction to fear. The idea of Castle settling down permanently as a quiet homebody was pure fantasy.
Her intuition proved correct when Castle explained his original reason for developing drones: he wanted to monitor real-time incidents in New York to satisfy his curiosity. According to Gianna, however, Castle had framed it as a way to "watch the excitement" with their young friend. Beckett realized that even though Castle faced serious challenges, his nature wouldn't allow him to stay out of trouble for long.
Still, having a clear goal and working toward change was better than aimless wandering.
Within three days of Castle completing his downgraded orbital adjustment and control system, representatives from Lockheed Martin, Hughes, and NASA arrived. While Castle was busy in the lab, Gianna also made her moves. She contacted Moz and formally took over the "Castle Laboratory" he had registered. With her team of lawyers and accountants, she began negotiations at Castle's estate.
NASA's demands were relatively modest. They weren't looking to acquire the technology outright but simply wanted a license to use it. Their goal was to build upon Castle's innovations and develop their own systems. They weren't particularly interested in the energy storage technology either, reasoning that Lockheed Martin could share it with them if necessary.
For Hughes and Lockheed Martin, however, the stakes were much higher. Hughes sought to use both technologies to increase its satellite market share. To sweeten the deal, Hughes transferred part of its existing satellite production contract to Lockheed Martin, offering to build the remaining satellites for Castle free of charge. Castle saw the opportunity to save billions of dollars and eagerly agreed.
Lockheed Martin was even more determined. They viewed the new energy storage technology as a game-changer, with applications far beyond satellites. A modified version could revolutionize fighter jets and long-range military drones. Castle, however, lacked the technical foresight to see these broader implications, as did those around him.
Gianna, despite her elite business training, had limited sensitivity to military technologies. Her family background in aviation helped to some extent, but it was no match for the expertise of major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin. Neither Castle nor Gianna had fully considered the vast potential applications of their technology.
Even Hughes, whose military contracts had dwindled over the past two decades, had lost some of its technological edge. Lockheed Martin, by contrast, maintained a top position in military procurement and immediately recognized the technology's strategic value.
Lockheed Martin's eagerness to seize control of the remaining satellite contract wasn't driven by goodwill. They wanted to observe Castle's technology up close during the satellite production process to evaluate its performance. Their internal analysis also revealed a crucial insight: Castle appeared indifferent to the broader applications of his inventions.
Their findings were confirmed by observing how Castle had handled previous technologies. For example, when Pratt & Whitney and General Electric acquired Castle's engine technology, they quickly improved their products, leaving Rolls-Royce struggling to compete. Similarly, Northrop Grumman was developing a new missile based on Castle's designs, but none of this seemed to concern him. Castle's sensitivity to the commercial potential of his innovations was severely lacking.
Recognizing this opportunity, Lockheed Martin's internal reports emphasized that Castle was a unique individual whose technical brilliance was not matched by strategic awareness. Missing the chance to exploit this would be inexcusable.
Fortunately, Gianna's instincts detected Lockheed Martin's desperation during negotiations. Castle's artificial intelligence, Jarvis, monitored the company's internal communications and unearthed their assessments of Castle's personality. After reviewing the data in their supercomputer lab, Castle and his team were left speechless by the level of analysis Lockheed Martin had conducted.
"Rick, we might have seriously underestimated the value of the technology we're holding," Gianna admitted, uncharacteristically humbled. She had initially focused solely on the satellite orbital adjustment system, not realizing how valuable the energy storage technology was.
Even Beckett, typically uninterested in such matters, was stunned by the detailed reports on Castle's potential and the far-reaching implications of his inventions.
Gianna shook her head in disbelief. "We were naive to think these defense giants wouldn't see opportunities we overlooked. They've been planning how to exploit this from the start."
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