Free Ephialtes (Ephialtes Trilogy Book 1) by Gavin E Parker Page B

extend to
striking out completely on his own.  Given his good fortune to have been
born into one of the richest families in the USAN, that would have just been foolish.  Charles knew that he could make a name for
himself working from within.  If he worked hard and demonstrated
competency he would soon rise up in the furthest outpost of the family
firm.  That he did.
    Venkdt had
been the managing operational director of Venkdt Mars for over thirty-five
years.  When he had first reached that lofty position the Martian
population had been around thirty thousand; now it was close to one hundred
thousand.  He had overseen expansion from the exportation of raw minerals
to the production of high quality finished goods.  He had expanded the
fledgling R&D Department to something of a fiefdom for its director. 
He understood that in their hostile environment Martians had to innovate,
meeting every challenge with creative solutions.
    Within the
last thirty years or so he had seen the arrival of Hjälp Teknik , a comparatively upstart company who had
arrived on Mars as a direct competitor to Venkdt.  Charles viewed them
with a mild contempt, but conceded that competition was good as it would drive
efficiency and innovation.  Despite that he couldn’t help thinking, deep
down, that Hjälp Teknik had
it easy.  The knowhow, the knowledge, the risk had all been borne by the
pioneers of Venkdt, who had also supplied, latterly, much of the transport and
coms infrastructure.  These Johnny-come-latelies were sailing
in on Venkdt’s coat tails when all the hard work had
been done, and taking the easy pickings.
    Things were
changing now, and rapidly.  It wasn’t just Hjälp Teknik who were the rivals any more.  Mars had
expanded at such a rate that, even with the exception of Hjälp Teknik , it was no longer a company town.  Two
Venkdt employees might get together and start a family, buying a house with
their wages and becoming true stakeholders in the Martian adventure.  What
about their kids?  Venkdt didn’t necessarily owe them a living, and they
didn’t necessarily want to work for Venkdt.  With some capital from their
parents’ savings, or even a loan, some of these natural born Martians could set
up their own businesses.  Venkdt’s Martians
craved entertainment and other fripperies to spend their hard-earned
money on, and small businesses sprang up to provide it to them.  In time,
other services were provided too, leading to growth in the Martian banking
sector.  Initially most goods were imported - there was
money to be made undercutting the official Venkdt Stores in this area - but
in time demand drove local production.  The Martian economy was fizzing,
and the population was expanding.  All of this made Charles Venkdt
immensely proud.  Though in truth it was his forefathers and their
associates who had put in the really hard graft in the early days,
Charles felt, with not a total absence of justification, that Mars was an
ongoing project that he had built.
    From his
position on the veranda Charles watched the cab arrive, slowly winding its way
up his short drive before coming to a halt in front of the house.  His
daughter stepped from the vehicle and reached back in, collecting her
bag.  She closed the door and looked up.  “Hi, Dad,” she said.
    “Hey,
gorgeous,” Venkdt replied, a warm and genuine smile on his face.  He
walked to the top of the steps and greeted her with a hug and a kiss. 
They walked inside.
    “I hope you
haven’t eaten,” said Venkdt.
    “I thought we
were eating here?” replied Christina.
    “Yes, yes, we
are,” said Venkdt.  “Go through.”  He gestured to the dining room.
    They entered
the room and sat at places laid out for them.  “How’ve you been, Dad?”
said Christina.  “Everything okay?”
    “Everything’s
just fine,” said Venkdt.  “Drink?”
    “You know, I
think I will.  Do you have any wine?”
    Venkdt spoke
to no one, “Can we have some