ALJ Chpt 79

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==Chapter 79 - A Long Journey==
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11 July 2787
Mackolla (Federated Suns)
"I don't have the capacity to take on any more orders, sir." Unger Trimble said as he searched on his computer and then thru a database until he found what he was looking for. "The Exact 2208 CNC Machine will fit what you want to do. It will not be fully automated, but it will damn sure make do. I can spare a few folks to help adjust them when they arrive for you. It is eight CNC machines in one assembly, top of the line civilian model, but your talking Gauss ammo, so nothing to go boom. You will have to manually load the blanks, but once we get them dialed in, that is the hardest part of the process." He continued reading the specifications and uses. "Yeah, it will do the job just fine. I can order them for you, they are not too hard to find. How many do you want?"
Gerald Mitchell did some mental math and even used his fingers to help figure it out before answering, "Thirty of them. Get me thirty of those CNC machines."
"Thirty Exact 2208 CNC Machines.....okay, you will be looking at..." Unger Trimble did some calculations using the prices advertised plus transportation fess, expedite fess, his markup fees and labor fees for helping install them and fine tune them. "Thirty two million. That includes all fees, plus charges for helping install them and fine tune them to what you want to do with them. I will even have my people help train your operators. Is that agreeable?"
Thirty two million for machines that should bring in almost four billion, yeah that is a bargain, Gerald Mitchell thought silently before speaking "Steep, but I can live with it. How fast can you get them here?"
Unger Trimble located manufacturers on Crofton, Broken Wheel, and Brockton which were all fairly close to Mackolla. "Probably two months with a hefty expedite fee to make that happen, it is a fairly common model. You might want to bring a few extra in case one goes down since there is not a local builder here on Makolla."
"Whatever it takes, get them here as fast as you can." Gerald Mitchell said
Gerald Mitchell left and his next visit was with Timothy Smythe of Smythe Mining and Metals. He did not have to wait long before Timothy Smythe walked into the reception area and said "Mr Mitchell, it is good to see you. Please, walk with me. What can I do for you?"
"I thought it was time we had a talk plus I have a specific order I need to place with you." Gerald Mitchell replied as they entered a fairly nice office and the door was closed.
"Please have a seat. I am always willing to take on any orders. What can I put together for you?" Timothy Smythe asked
"Well first, we need to clear the air a little on a small issue. Before you waste your time placing an order for Endo Steel production equipment, you need to know that Mackolla Metals will be supplying all of Mackolla Enterprises business ventures with all the Endo Steel they need. But we will be purchasing the refined material from you. I just hate to see you wasting money chasing a pipe dream that will not happen. What I am going to need is a ferrous nickel-iron alloy that is exactly to these specifications." Gerald Mitchell said handing over a full analysis obtained from a local metallurgy school using samples from three different Gauss round examples provided by General Samuel Mitchell.
Timothy Smythe took the offered sheets of paper and looked them over and said "Gauss rounds. So you need the blanks. That is fairly simple. In what quantity are we talking and how soon?"
"I was told you were really smart when it came to anything made of metal. I estimate needing eight hundred tons per day, every day for the foreseeable future." Gerald Mitchell replied
"I can handle that easily." Timothy Smythe did some calculations and said "Your looking at one thousand per ton for the Gauss blanks, cut into the proper sizes to be turned into Gauss rounds. Made exactly to your specifications you just handed me."
"The going rate on the open market is only one hundred fifty per ton, sir." Gerald Mitchell said
"It is, for great big sheets of it. Then you have to roll it and form it into a blank before cutting it down to the proper size. Now, you are free to take your chances with the smaller locals outfits or elsewhere, but I guarantee our product. The properties you just handed me are SLDF spec for Gauss ammunition. I have made them for years. From that size of an order, your going into the ammunition business hard, Helen was here yesterday placing an order for all the ores to manufacture explosives, all SLDF spec also. I am not going to mix the stuff for her, but I will provide her with all the raw stuff as pure as she needs it. My family has been in this business for almost a century and have filled more orders and larger orders for exactly what your both asking for. That is fine by me, but I expect to make a fair profit in the process. I will tell you the same thing I told Helen, place an order on par with what I got on New Earth supplying various SLDF providers and the price comes down dramatically but I don't see that happening, so the price is what it is." Timothy Smythe said firmly
"Out of curiosity, what size would that be for my order?" Gerald Mitchell asked
"For Gauss blanks, a normal guaranteed contract order would be for roughly a million tons a year for ten years. An order that size would see the price drop to about three hundred a ton for the blanks. But I have not located any deposits here to even entertain that size of an order. Also why the price is higher, I have to break ground in several different locations to even fill both of your orders. That means dealing with Governor Nelson who is already a prick because all the smaller outfits are pissed at me and he owns a stake in all of them. I already told him to stick his offer where the sun doesn't shine and I am not paying a kickback either. Even getting the mining permits is going to be a pain in the ass since he has final approval over them and that is going to force me to pay him off to get that approval." Timothy Smythe replied
"Now I see what is going on. Your prices are within reason sir. I am planning on being set up and operational in three months, is that acceptable to you?" Gerald Mitchell asked
"I will get the process started on new permits. Then we will start stockpiling the blanks for you. The moment your up and running we will have a nice pile all ready for you." Timothy Smythe said 
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