Alice was unperturbed by Billy's questions, seeming to have expected them already. "Yes, the R40 was originally designed for exploration, but it was designed for a customer that had the Omicrons in mind. So it was made to be resillient, easy to maintain, and adaptable to a variety of threats. Hazardous clouds, Corsairs, over-gunned Hunter knockoffs, and so on. While some proprietary hardware is involved, most of it can be replaced if needed with relatively standard off-the-shelf parts; we do intend for the R40 to see wider-scale sales when our production capacity expands. Right now, the main limiting factor is the lack of a full drydock we completely control. The chief advancement of the R40 system is our new comparative multispectral analysis system that runs off a dedicated hardware core kept in a secure location, specifically to minimize the kind of risk you're concerned about. In short, if the CMAS takes a hit in combat, you've probably got a very large hole in your ship already. Most of the custom work that'll be specific to your ship is a simple matter of fabricating the right components so everything fits together properly, and a bit of custom firmware configuration, the majority of the hardware should still be standard-pattern R40." Alice pulls a form out of the stack and slides it across the table to Billy and continues, "As for maintenance costs, as you'll see here costs are based directly on hardware production costs, plus a standard per-manhour expense. This is the same price scale used in our contracts with the Octavarium Mercantile Guild, so if you have any concerns about prices, you can verify with them; we rely on OMG for most of our material shipments and a significant portion of our sales. For the first four years, maintenance expenses are capped at no higher than the current rate as of signing the contract. By the end of the initial maintenance contract, I expect the cost to decrease; Kwinana's operations are expanding, slowly but surely, allowing us to process more materials in-house rather than importing everything from Liberty, Bretonia, and Gallia."
"Still damn weird getting things from Gallia legally," Darren laughed.
Alice nodded. "Mm. I'd say it's a welcome change, except now Kusari's gone on the warpath. You know, again. Anyway! Software and firmware updates are free of charge as long as the system is installed, standard deal. Now, the other detail, interior amenities. Most of us in Aquila aren't that familiar with the Raiders, but I believe we can round up some retired Raiders that'd be interested in helping us get that right. There's a lot more flexibility in creature comforts than in scanners and shields, it's easier to design around a client's preferences there." With a smile, she asked, "Does that cover all of your questions?"
Content with the explanation and the price of all the services Aquila Defense Systems would be providing, Billy nodded. Good, I just had to be sure. Have to think ahead for potential problems. A lot of this technical information is above my head, but I'll take your word on it. It also appears training my crew on the operation and maintenance is included in this quote, good. I believe everything is in order, so where do I sign and when can you start?
Alice smiled and slid two contracts over to Billy. "Bottom of each of these. The first one is the contract for the R40 installation and the other work we've discussed, along with the necessary fabrication, escort, and so on. The second is the maintenance contract; strictly speaking, you don't need to sign that, but that's the contract that guarantees that any maintenance jobs won't cost more than they would right now. You'll be allowed to take it elsewhere for service if needed, but we ask that you keep a record of any work not done by Aquila technicians."
"That's so if somethin' goes haywire, we can figure it out easier," Darren clarified. "Saves us time, saves you money."
"Exactly. Once everything's signed, we'll get our team organized, see if we can find any retired Raiders with an interest in a side job, and get Fort Resolution launched."
A support contract would certainly be ideal, both for the combat systems as well as the Nav and Sensor arrays. Given the nature of the Nightmare however, we may be moving to different sectors as needs demand. As long as that isn't a problem for your maintenance crews I don't see any problems signing both contracts.
Giving both contracts a full read through, Billy signed each one in turn, sliding the documents back over to the Representative.
I'm glad we where able to work something out. I look forward to seeing your work crews onboard Vieques.
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
"Of course, we've had crews work all along the Barrier and in the Walker Nebula. Travel's not a concern." Alice took the signed contracts and sorted them neatly with the rest of her paperwork before standing and straightening her blazer. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Xae," she said, shaking the man's hand with a smile.
"I'd shake your hand too," Darren began, raising his mechanical arm, "but this is my good hand. So, I think not. I'll get a crew together - I've gotta stay local for a few projects, but you'll get some of Aquila's best, don't worry."
Don't worry about it. I'm confident the Aquila Defense System will be able to meet our needs handedly. Getting to his feet, Billy scooped up the projector and stuffed it in his pocket as he turned towards Alice. If you could please forward a copy of the signed contract to me digitally that'd be perfect, thank you. Now I apologize as I have to get going, I'm needed at Vieques to organize all these moving pieces. Thank you for your hospitality, you two where notably easier to deal with than the accountants from your finance ministry.
Grinning, Billy gathered his things and walked out of the office. Seeing a response to his communique from Hispania Imperial, he entered in a quick response as he walked towards the spaceport. Everything was falling into place, and his cadre of friends was growing. Now it was time to rebuild the Nightmare.
Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.