Dume Point Estate, morning, in the dining room.
Janet was the last to enter. She first ran to her aunt Veronica, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek, then turned with a beaming smile to Simon. She grabbed his head for a kiss before finally settling into the seat next to him.
At the table, the little ones looked on in confusion. Across the table, Jennifer, heavily pregnant and still managing two young children beside her, rolled her eyes. Veronica, pretending not to notice, lowered her gaze and busied herself serving Melbourne.
Janet picked up her utensils, shooed away the maid who tried to help, and turned to Simon. "How did it go on the East Coast?"
Knowing what she was referring to, Simon shook his head regretfully. "Just got the news—Scaife shut down the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette."
"A full retreat, huh? What a shame. With the Mellon family retreating so cleanly, some of our follow-up plans can't proceed."
"Exactly. There's a saying in Chinese that goes…"
"'When the hare dies, the fox grieves.'"
"Ha, your Chinese is at least an HSK Level 8 now," Simon complimented her before continuing, "Anyway, with the Mellon family pulling back so decisively, we can't push further. Otherwise, it will make the other old-money families in the U.S. more wary. We can't afford to alienate all of them at once."
Simon had originally planned to use the Mellon Financial crisis as an opportunity to weaken the Mellon family's interests across various industries. His goal had been to deliver the strongest possible blow.
However, the Mellon family's abrupt decision over the weekend to fully abandon Mellon Financial had caught Simon off guard.
With the Mellon family not resisting on the financial front, Simon had no reason to continue pressuring them. After all, the Mellons weren't entirely without allies in Washington and on Wall Street. Pushing too hard could provoke a united front among other old-money families, turning Simon into a common enemy.
Thus, Simon decided to back off.
With Simon pulling back and the Mellon family retreating, the ongoing investigations into the family's alleged loan fraud were likely to end in a settlement soon.
Simon could only admire the decisiveness of the century-old family.
He sighed and added, "What's even more disappointing is the stock market. Last week, Mellon Financial dragged down Chevron, Alcoa, and other related companies for three straight days, but it still couldn't pull the Nasdaq down. I initially thought this might be a good opportunity."
Across the table, Jennifer said, "Mellon Financial is listed on the NYSE, not Nasdaq."
Simon shrugged. "Close enough. It's all part of the U.S. stock market."
Janet took a sip of her milk, seemed dissatisfied with the taste, and poured some into Seattle's cup before sharing the rest with Simon. She smiled and asked, "Are you getting impatient?"
"Of course I am. Time is money," Simon replied with a grin. "While Eaglet and the others are worth a fortune on paper, it's just numbers at this point, with little real significance. The Nasdaq's inflated market is already impacting the Westeros system's investments in new technology sectors. Both internal expansions and external acquisitions are now much more expensive, forcing us to put many plans on hold."
Janet suggested, "If you're that impatient, why not burst the bubble ourselves? Selling off a large block of shares would do it, and we'd cash out in the process."
"Pressuring the Mellon family only affects the old-money elites. Dumping tech stocks, however, would offend the entire world."
Janet playfully waved her fork. "What a hassle."
"It's best if we do nothing for now."
Across the table, Jennifer asked, "When does Soros plan to make his move?"
"Probably May," Simon replied, nodding. "That'll be another opportunity. When Soros starts shorting Southeast Asia, the impact will undoubtedly ripple into North America. If the Nasdaq can hold out even then, it'll be nothing short of a miracle."
In his memory, the Thai baht collapsed in July, but international speculators had begun shorting it as early as May.
Moreover, in the original timeline, the first use of the circuit breaker mechanism in U.S. stock market history occurred in October 1997, when the Dow Jones plummeted due to the Asian financial crisis.
Back then, the Nasdaq hadn't yet reached its frenzied levels.
This time, with the Nasdaq soaring, the ripple effects of the Asian financial crisis would likely hit the Nasdaq first, possibly earlier than the peak crisis of October in the original timeline.
Regardless, Simon could only wait patiently.
At the current pace of the Nasdaq's growth, with an average monthly increase of 5%, the index could hit 7,500 in just three more months. By then, Eaglet, as a leading company, would likely surpass a market cap of $1 trillion. Even if these valuations didn't immediately translate into tangible benefits, the sheer scale was exhilarating to think about.
After casually chatting over breakfast, Veronica left to drop Melbourne off at school. Jennifer stayed home to rest, while Simon and Janet boarded a helicopter, flying across the bay to Playa Vista, just south of Santa Monica, where SpaceX's headquarters were located.
Today, SpaceX was conducting a public test of its rocket engine.
After a year of intensive development under Simon's constant prodding, the SpaceX team had officially unveiled their first rocket engine, named Merlin-1.
The name "Merlin" had been chosen through a public contest among the SpaceX team, though Simon had subtly rigged the process to ensure the winning entry came from an engineer named Elon Musk.
At first glance, the name "Merlin" seemed inconsistent with SpaceX's other names like "Falcon" or "Raptor." However, "Merlin" is actually the English name for a type of small falcon, continuing the theme of birds of prey.
Still, the new Merlin engine was entirely different from the Merlin engine of Simon's original timeline.
In the original timeline, SpaceX's Merlin engine was based on an open-source design from NASA, similar to how many semiconductor companies use ARM's public chip architecture. SpaceX had refined the design to create the famous Merlin series.
This time, the Merlin engine was built on the technological foundation of the Soviet Union's renowned RD-170 rocket engine.
To put it simply, the original Merlin engine had a thrust of just over 30 tons, while the RD-170 boasted a thrust exceeding 700 tons. The difference was akin to comparing an early ARM chip to a Pentium-class x86 processor. Even when comparing thrust-to-weight ratios, the original Merlin's value of 45 paled in comparison to the RD-170's 75.
Amusingly, Simon recalled from his limited technical memory that later versions of the Merlin series had begun to resemble the RD-170, raising questions about what had transpired behind the scenes.
This time, Simon decided to skip the intermediate steps and start directly with the best foundation.
When Simon and Janet arrived at SpaceX's headquarters, they were greeted by a group that perfectly represented the various alliances and collaborations SpaceX had formed over the past year. The group included SpaceX engineers, NASA officials, Lockheed Martin executives, and representatives from the Ukrainian Space Agency.
The story of how this came to be began with Simon acquiring a treasure trove of aerospace and nuclear technology from Ukraine. Since SpaceX had decided to use RD-170 technology, Simon wanted a legitimate basis for doing so. Despite the lack of patents in the aerospace industry due to its unique nature, Simon brought Ukraine onboard for additional credibility.
After the Soviet Union's collapse, Ukraine had retained the full technical documentation for the RD-170 engine but lacked the industrial capacity to produce it independently without Russian support. Given the close relationship between the Westeros system and the Ukrainian government, as well as the tangible benefits involved, Kyiv was happy to cooperate.
Not only did Ukraine provide access to RD-170 technology, but they also shared virtually all their other transferable aerospace technologies.
In exchange, Simon paid a mere $25 million in cash and granted Ukraine a 20% stake in a shell company set up to sell rocket engines internationally. This meant Ukraine would receive 20% of the profits from SpaceX's external engine sales, but they would have no claim on SpaceX's profits from using the engines for its own missions or future ventures.
With these agreements, SpaceX gained not only a wealth of Soviet aerospace technology but also a new influx of skilled experts. The rapid development of the Merlin-1 engine owed much to these Soviet engineers.
Today's engine test was more than just a technical milestone; it was a key step toward securing a major contract.
Since last year, NASA, under Lockheed Martin's management, had been searching for a supplier for the first-stage engine of their next-generation Atlas rocket.
In the original timeline, Lockheed Martin eventually signed a long-term supply agreement with Russia for RD-170 engines.
This time, Simon wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip by. Through lobbying and pressure on the White House, Congress, NASA, and Lockheed Martin, Simon managed to get SpaceX added as a contender, delaying the bidding process until now.
With the patriotic appeal of a "domestic" supplier, plus the superior performance of the Merlin-1 (based on RD-170 but further improved), today's test was critical. As long as no major issues occurred, SpaceX was poised to win the contract.
And it was indeed a massive deal.
According to a draft agreement, NASA and Lockheed Martin would sign a 20-year supply contract for 100 engines. Despite the cost advantages of 3D-printed engines, SpaceX matched Russia's price of $10 million per engine, resulting in a $1 billion contract.
Spread over 20 years, the annual revenue of $50 million would give SpaceX a strong financial foundation, with high profit margins to boot.
And this was just one aspect of SpaceX's business. NASA and Lockheed Martin imposed no restrictions on SpaceX's use of Merlin engines for its own missions, ensuring that future revenues would be dominated by independent launch services.
Inside SpaceX's newly built glass-reinforced headquarters, Simon and Janet joined the assembled guests in a viewing hall overlooking the test site. The area stretched along Ballona Creek to the coast, with over 300 hectares of land that Simon had purchased last year for SpaceX's testing facilities.
From the hall, they could see a two-story test stand built on a cleared plot of land 500 meters away. The first prototype of the Merlin-1 engine, the better-performing of the two initial models, was mounted on the stand.
Although today's test was public, the SpaceX team had already conducted numerous private tests. The primary purpose of today's demonstration was to secure the Lockheed Martin contract.
As the test began, the engine roared to life, spewing flames and smoke. The ground trembled under the power of the Merlin-1, and the gathered guests listened to the real-time data readouts from the NASA monitoring team.
"Sea-level thrust: 81,773 kN."
"Specific impulse at sea level: 353 seconds."
"Combustion chamber pressure... wow, 27.3 MPa. Can we confirm that? Okay."
"Thrust-to-weight ratio… 96. Incredible."
Hearing these parameters and sensing the growing excitement among the crowd, even the NASA officials seated near Simon were visibly impressed. Though they had seen some preliminary data, hearing it live seemed to dispel any lingering doubts.
After two successful tests, NASA and Lockheed Martin's representatives had no further objections. In a ceremony witnessed by all, SpaceX and Lockheed Martin executives signed the contract, marking the official start of their partnership.
Back in the hall, while the celebration was in full swing, Simon quickly gathered SpaceX's senior team, including President Gwynne Shotwell, to refocus on the company's broader goals.
"This is just the beginning," Simon said, addressing the group. "Gwynne, and everyone else, your next priority is to build SpaceX's own launch vehicle. And remember, I've already set the goal: SpaceX must work toward developing reusable rockets. Anyone still saying it's impossible? Great, on such a wonderful day, getting fired would be such a shame…"
After delivering his motivational speech, Simon announced a $15 million bonus pool for the team. With the morning's agenda complete, he turned to find Janet, who was chatting with a striking Slavic woman.
"Simon, this is Natasha," Janet introduced her cheerfully. "Her English is excellent—you'd never guess she's Ukrainian. I'm thinking of inviting her to go shopping downtown with me."
Simon smiled as Janet introduced the woman. He gave Janet a look that seemed to say, You're terrible at pretending to be naive, before shaking Natasha's hand. "Hello, Natasha. I must say, I've always liked the name—it's such a classic Slavic choice."
Up close, the woman, around 5'9" with a curvy figure and fair complexion, appeared to be in her early thirties. Dressed in a black business suit, her delicate features had a subtle allure, and her soft voice carried an almost deliberate sweetness.
"Oh, Mr. Westeros, it's such an honor to meet you. Please, just call me Natasha."
"Sure thing, Natasha."
Janet, feigning innocence, chimed in. "Simon, isn't her skin so fair? I absolutely have to ask her about her skincare routine later."
Natasha responded modestly, "Oh, it's natural, but Janet, your complexion is even more beautiful. Mine might be a bit too pale."
"Not at all. Simon loves fair skin," Janet said with a grin, catching the slight sparkle in Natasha's eyes as she turned to Simon. "Are you heading out now?"
"Yes," Simon replied. "I have a meeting coming up. I won't be home for lunch. Should I drop you off downtown?"
"Sure," Janet said, then turned to Natasha. "Would it be okay if you separated from your group?"
Natasha nodded quickly, looking pleased. "Of course, no problem."
Simon, not bothering to question Janet's sudden enthusiasm for her new companion, wrapped up his farewells with the SpaceX team and escorted the two women to the helicopter.
After dropping them off in Beverly Hills, Simon headed for the Malibu Studios.
At the studio, Simon's agenda involved reviewing the rough cut of American Pie, which had wrapped filming in mid-February. As the project was one Simon had personally overseen, he was scheduled to meet with the film's creators to provide feedback and discuss post-production plans.
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