The kids, as Amara had started to refer to them, were out on a week-long investigation. She didn't grasp the technical aspects, but apparently, they needed to collect significant amounts of data and reposition the beacons. Since it was all happening in Eden-Five system space, she wasn't concerned about their safety. More importantly, she was pleased they were starting to bond as a working team. It reminded her of when she first started and the excitement the young shipwrights used to have.
That didn't mean she was free from trouble. Her secure terminal chimed at 0500 hours, cutting through the pre-dawn quiet of her Eden-Five office. The Trexlor Shipbuilding Exposition was only six months away, and every major corporation in human space would be there. It was the perfect opportunity to introduce Tanya's innovations to the industry, but it was also the perfect way to create chaos if handled poorly.
The briefing materialised on her holographic display, showing corporate intelligence reports she'd commissioned through discreet channels. Adaptive material hulls that defied conventional engineering principles. Beacon networks that could revolutionise space navigation. Black box systems that processed dimensional coordinates in ways no existing technology could match. Each item represented a potential goldmine for the right partners or a nightmare if the powers-that-be decided to block it.
"Furrow Technologies: Disruptive Innovation Assessment," the report's header read. Below it, contact information for seventeen different corporate executives who'd already begun making inquiries through back channels.
Amara studied the list with professional satisfaction. Word was spreading exactly as she'd intended with controlled leaks through industry contacts, carefully timed simulations for select investors, strategic patent filings that revealed just enough to generate interest without exposing core secrets. She had been trying to get the genie out of the bottle before anyone could force it back in.
Her secure comm activated, displaying Captain Davidson's familiar features. His expression carried the focused attention of someone coordinating a complex operation.
"Three different navigation companies have reached out through official channels," he said without preamble. "They want to discuss licensing agreements for the beacon technology. Apparently, your preliminary demonstrations were very convincing."
"And I suppose they're all offering generous terms for exclusive access?" Amara's tone carried dry amusement.
"Generous enough that I suspect they're more worried about being left out than they are about the technology itself." Davidson paused. "The question is whether you're ready to handle that level of corporate attention."
Amara had been preparing for exactly this scenario since Tanya's first breakthrough. The key was managing the flow of information and interest rather than trying to control it completely.
"Controlled disclosure through the Trexlor show," she said. "Public demonstration of selected capabilities, followed by private meetings with pre-screened partners. We frame this as an opportunity to join the revolution rather than a threat to established business models. The others clearly understand this and are trying to get a head start."
"Smart approach. If the major players see partnership potential rather than existential competition, they'll help you navigate regulatory and government concerns instead of lobbying to shut you down."
That was Amara's plan. Money talked. Government wouldn't be able to act once the technology was public, and if it had the support of the powerful players, all the better.
After Davidson signed off, Amara turned to her next challenge: ensuring their legal position was bulletproof before stepping into the spotlight. Valentina's expertise would be crucial for protecting their innovations while allowing strategic disclosure.
She found Valentina in the company's legal workspace, surrounded by holographic displays showing patent applications, licensing frameworks, and partnership contract templates. The former military lawyer had adapted to corporate intellectual property warfare with methodical precision.
"How's our legal armour?" Amara asked, settling into the chair across from Valentina's desk.
"Solid, with strategic gaps where we want them," Valentina replied, gesturing to the complex web of protections on her screens. "I've filed comprehensive patents on the beacon technology and navigation processing algorithms. The adaptive materials are more interesting—I've protected the specific applications while leaving the underlying principles vague enough to maintain trade secret status."
"What about potential challenges to Cameron's reverse-engineering work on the vortex drives?"
"That's actually our weakest position," Valentina said with professional worry. "The vortex drive manufacturers have been selling black boxes for decades without explaining how they work. Cameron's analysis falls squarely under research and development fair use, especially since we're not duplicating their products. We're creating entirely new applications."
Amara agreed that it was a weak position; it may have been stronger if the drive manufacturers were private companies, but they were government-backed entities.
"Any corporate pushback so far?"
"The opposite, actually. Two drive resellers have quietly inquired about collaboration opportunities. They're more interested in what we've learned than concerned about how we learned it. It seems your leaks and requests to purchase many drives are having an effect."
Their discussion was interrupted by Red's arrival. He didn't knock, just stomped in, heavy boots thudding on the floor, and dropped into a chair like he owned it. His face had that hard, closed-off look Amara recognised from soldiers who'd spent too long waiting for orders that never came. He activated the room's privacy shields before speaking.
"Security update," he said. His voice was blunt, stripped of polish. "We already found and cleared out three sets of bugs in the workshop last week. Thought that'd be the end of it. Turns out someone planted a fresh set. Professional gear. Data links cut off clean as soon as I tried tracing."
Amara felt her jaw tighten. "What kind of information could they have gathered?"
Red scratched at the scar on his jaw, the habit of a man thinking hard but not overcomplicating things. " It seemed set up to get Hull composition scans. Energy signatures. Maybe full schematics of the Vanguard's external mods. Whoever planted it wanted the details on Tanya's ships, not the beacon drones. Someone's fishing deep. Lucky the Vanguard has been out of the workshop, and it's unlikely they got anything."
"Any indication of who's behind it?"
Red snorted. "Could be government. Could be corp. The gear's military issue, but the way it was deployed suggests a corporate crew. What worries me is how fast they wiped the logs when I found 'em. That's not freelancers. That's someone with serious backing and cover." He leaned forward, arms on the table. "We gotta assume they will keep trying, and we will fail eventually fail to find them"
Amara processed that, connecting it to the earlier corporate overtures. Official channels pushing for partnerships. Unofficial channels planting bugs. Both tracks are racing ahead of her ability to control them.
"New protocols," she decided. "Nothing classified happens in any facility that isn't completely under our control. Sensitive work moves to Tanya's workshop. And I want constant sweeps, not just after we find something."
"Already on it," Red said. "But I'll be blunt—we're playing catch-up. They're always gonna be one step ahead if we don't up our numbers."
Amara nodded. She understood the limitations of a small company, but that was okay. Staying in the game was enough for now. Winning would come later.
The final piece of her strategic preparation came through a call with three corporate executives Davidson had recommended as potential partners. Each conversation followed a similar pattern: polite interest, strategic probing, and careful assessment of Furrow Technologies' negotiating position.
"The navigation applications alone could transform our industry," said Maria Chen, VP of Strategic Development at Stellar Dynamics. "But we'd need to understand the scalability challenges before committing to partnership terms."
"Understandable," Amara replied. "Our Trexlor demonstration will address exactly those concerns. We're not just showing prototypes—we're demonstrating production-ready technology with clear implementation pathways."
The conversation with Harrison Webb from Meridian Shipyards was more direct: "We're prepared to discuss significant investment in exchange for exclusive licensing in specific market segments. The question is whether you're interested in strategic partnership or just vendor relationships."
"Partnership," Amara said without hesitation. "We're looking for companies that can help us scale globally while maintaining innovation leadership."
By evening, Amara had coordinated twelve different preparatory tracks: legal protections, security protocols, demonstration logistics, partnership negotiations, media management, competitive intelligence, regulatory compliance, technical documentation, staff training, equipment transport, venue coordination, and contingency planning.
Each element required careful attention, but together they would ensure Furrow Inc. entered the Trexlor show on their own terms rather than being overtaken by events.
She locked her terminal and reviewed the day's progress with professional satisfaction. The Trexlor show would be complex, high-stakes, and potentially transformative for Tanya's work. But it was exactly the kind of challenge she excelled at and enjoyed, turning brilliant innovation into sustainable business success.
Anyone who wanted to outmanoeuvre Furrow Technologies at Trexlor would discover that Amara Okafor had been preparing for this opportunity longer than they'd been aware it existed.
The only piece missing from her careful preparations was spectacle. Investors, regulators, and even rivals would come armed with questions and objections, but the crowds at Trexlor wanted to be dazzled. Every year, there was one ship that stole the spotlight, some design so bold or strange it forced everyone to stop and stare. Furrow Inc. had the breakthroughs, but they didn't yet have that centerpiece. Amara made a note in her planner: once the kids returned from their week of beacon tests, she'd need to sit Tanya down and ask the hard question. What ship could they build that would make the galaxy look twice?