The conference room filled and everyone took their seats. The secretary introduced each attendee to Rocky, then the meeting began.
"L, right? I hear you have made quite a splash in Night City lately. I have also reviewed the serum you produce. It is interesting." The board director at the head of the table did not waste time. "You say you want to establish a company and cooperate with Arasaka. How do you want to cooperate?"
Rocky produced a datachip and handed it to the secretary. She slotted it into the table console. The tabletop display lit with two product briefs and a draft cooperation plan.
Rocky presented as the slides cycled.
"You already understand the serum's effects and value, so I will not repeat them," he said. "My initial offer is a lot of five hundred serum doses, delivery within three months, in exchange for five million eddies in funding, formal recognition as an Arasaka strategic partner, and company immunity for all of my senior executives going forward.
"Arasaka orders have priority for subsequent sales, and the original-strength serum becomes an Arasaka exclusive. Any serum sold outside will be reduced to fifty percent efficacy. All Militech orders will be rejected. How does Arasaka view this?"
It was a sincere opening: a sizable first order, exclusive access to the top grade, and guaranteed advantage by throttling outside potency and refusing Militech. But Arasaka's faces did not soften. Five hundred doses for five million was a friendly price, yet everyone in the room knew the money was not the most valuable part of the package. The title of strategic partner and the shield of company immunity were.
For a new company, partnership status with Arasaka would ward off most corporate harassment and help land major contracts under Arasaka's name. Company immunity, while only a convention among the giants, still carried real weight. It protected a leadership tier that otherwise lives under crosshairs.
The deputy director of Logistics spoke first, rejecting the plan with a dismissive curl at the edge of his mouth. "Kid, you are daydreaming. You are just a ripperdoc. Even if you developed this medicine, do not expect sky-high terms. Here is a better option. Drop the company idea, sell the formula to Arasaka, then report to the Logistics Department. With your talent you can climb, and the payment for the formula will let you live easy."
Rocky found it absurd. Joke or not, this was obviously Arasaka's favorite outcome. Sell the formula, lose all value, then wait for the buyer to claw the money back along with your life. He had no intention of walking into that trap.
He did not expect his first terms to pass as-is. Negotiations move. He shifted smoothly.
"Tempting as your suggestion is, I am an idealist. Building a company is my wish, so I must decline." He paused, then offered ground. "I can take a step back. In three years, I will hand Arasaka the serum formula unconditionally.
"At the same time, my other product, the Power Stimulant, will carry a joint-production label with Arasaka. We split sales revenue eighty to twenty, with twenty to Arasaka."
He had drawn them a picture of the near future. With the system behind him, once Ascension Technology stood up, his growth would accelerate to a frightening slope. Within three years, he expected to put Arasaka underfoot. At that point, whether he handed over a formula or not would not matter. That confidence colored his tone.
This time Arasaka did not reject him immediately. Three years is not long at their scale, and even after three years they believed the serum would retain very high value. A guaranteed handover then was not far from buying a formula outright. This offer sat within the range they could accept.
They already understood Rocky's stance. He would likely not surrender the formula now, and they had failed to reproduce it despite full supply-chain digs. Procurement logs showed raw materials, but their lab runs with those ingredients could not generate anything like the serum. Forcing him was an option, but it carried risk. If he chose to break the net and take the secret with him, they could end up with nothing.
Arasaka are merchants first, not terrorists. They do not always choose the most extreme solution. If the profit line meets their needs, they will not grind every last inch. Cooperation can make money too.
As for the joint-production label on the Power Stimulant, they understood his move. He wanted Arasaka's name to open the market. They would still benefit, so it was not a loss.
Silence took a slow lap around the table. They were largely satisfied, but Arasaka never leaves a bargaining chip unused while the game continues.
"We can accept your revised terms, barely," the Logistics deputy director said at last, "but they are not enough. Look at this."
A cold data-glint crossed his eyes. The console pulled up a personnel file.
"Lucy. The girl at your side. She was Arasaka property and defected. You understand what I mean," he said, smiling.