"Hello, Mr. Mavi. Welcome to our Black Sea Shipyard," said the officer assigned to receive Mavi. She was a young woman with brown hair, wearing a Ukrainian Navy cap and a dark Ukrainian naval uniform. Her rank was major.
Mavi glanced at her and noticed that she was very young and quite attractive—certainly under 30. Achieving the rank of major at such a young age indicated a deep family background. For an ordinary person, reaching major before 35 was already an impressive feat, let alone before 30.
"Hello," Mavi greeted her calmly. He knew this woman must have some significant connections. Otherwise, the military wouldn't have sent a mere major to represent them in negotiations over the transfer of Ukraine's largest shipyard. At the very least, this should have been handled by a colonel or even a rear admiral.
"You haven't asked me my name yet, Mr. Mavi," the female officer said with a slight smile.
If not for the serious-looking Ukrainian naval officers standing behind her, Mavi might have thought she was an actress playing the role of an officer. Her every gesture and smile, combined with the naval uniform, were undeniably captivating and alluring.
"And your name is?" Mavi asked casually, playing along.
"Sheknia Petrovich," she said as she extended her fair hand for a light handshake.
"Petrovich?" Mavi pondered the name. If he remembered correctly, Petrovich was the name of a Ukrainian admiral, second in power only to the navy's commander-in-chief. No wonder Sheknia had become a major at such a young age—she had an extremely influential father.
"Nice to meet you, Major Sheknia."
"Likewise. Now, get in the car. I'll take you on a tour of our Black Sea Shipyard," Major Sheknia said, motioning for Mavi to get into her jeep. Without waiting for anyone else, she unexpectedly drove off with Mavi, leaving everyone behind.
The scene left Mavi's bodyguards and the attending Ukrainian officials dumbfounded. They hadn't even had a chance to shake hands or exchange pleasantries!
Sitting inside the jeep, Mavi curiously glanced at Sheknia as she drove. He hadn't expected to meet someone so interesting on this trip to Ukraine. He also wasn't sure where she was taking him.
After about ten minutes of driving through the shipyard, Sheknia pulled up in front of a massive dry dock. "Mr. Mavi, this is the Black Sea Shipyard's Varyag aircraft carrier. It's about 67% complete. Since 1991, construction was forced to halt due to financial issues. The same happened with the nuclear-powered carrier Ulyanovsk, which was stopped less than two years after construction began."
As she spoke, Sheknia opened the car door and stepped out first. Her expression had changed—gone was the earlier playfulness, replaced by a more serious demeanor. It was clear that she was deeply concerned about Ukraine's shipbuilding industry.
Still seated in the car, Mavi gazed at the half-completed Varyag. This enormous vessel was the predecessor of what would later become the Liaoning aircraft carrier. But in this timeline, it was still lying in the Black Sea dry dock, waiting to be rescued.
Before Mavi could say anything, Sheknia, standing ahead of him, suddenly spoke. "Mr. Mavi, I know you're determined to acquire our Black Sea Shipyard. So why don't you just name your price?"
Her gentle voice echoed through the empty dry dock. She didn't turn around as she spoke, simply continuing to gaze at the Varyag.
She had already done her research on Mavi. She knew he was the behind-the-scenes owner of the Beihai Shipyard and had recently negotiated naval deals with India. Given his business acumen, she believed that under his ownership, the Black Sea Shipyard might be able to reverse its decline.
The Ukrainian Navy wasn't eager to sell their prized shipyard. But with the country's economy deteriorating, they could no longer afford to maintain the massive 2-million-square-meter facility. Rather than watching it fall further into disrepair, they figured it was better to find a capable partner to revive it.
This wouldn't just stimulate economic growth—it would also reduce unemployment. More importantly, it would help preserve Ukraine's naval capabilities. If the shipyard went bankrupt, it would be a devastating blow to their navy.
"Name my price?" Mavi had an idea of what she was getting at, so instead of stating a figure, he asked, "Major Sheknia, is the Ukrainian Navy willing to sell the Black Sea Shipyard outright?"
"That depends on how much you're willing to offer, Mr. Mavi," Sheknia replied, finally turning to face him with a cryptic smile.
Mavi knew that full ownership of the shipyard was unlikely. She was just fishing for his price to set a baseline for negotiations.
So he cut straight to the point. "100 million U.S. dollars. That's my opening offer."
The moment he finished speaking, Sheknia's smile vanished. "100 million? That's impossible, Mr. Mavi. Are you even taking this seriously?"
"If 100 million dollars is a joke, then selling the entire Black Sea Shipyard isn't? Major Sheknia?" Mavi countered. By now, he had dealt with Russian vice admirals and Indian admirals—he wasn't about to be intimidated by a mere major, even if she was a beautiful one.
Hearing his retort, Major Sheknia fell silent. She had planned to put Mavi in a tough spot, but instead, the situation had turned against her.
"Mr. Mavi, let's be frank. We both understand what's at stake," Sheknia finally said. "Your 100 million dollars could buy at most half of the Black Sea Shipyard's shares."
Selling shares was a minor issue—saving the shipyard was the bigger concern, and the Ukrainians knew it. That's why they wouldn't make things too difficult for a potential investor. They didn't want to scare him away.
"100 million dollars... only for half the shares?" Mavi repeated.
"That's right. So… do you think that's too expensive, Mr. Mavi?" Sheknia observed him carefully, worried that Ukraine's asking price might be beyond his expectations. If they couldn't find common ground, the deal could fall apart before it even began.
(End of Chapter)