duck. We can handle him. Renraku hasn’t exactly been making friends on the Court lately."
That’s certainly true, Hague thought.
"But it doesn’t change the fact that Renraku has a lot of clout," he said. "Renraku has been handing us a lot of surprises over the past two years, and it’s just possible they might have a card up their collective sleeve that could trump even the Court. Who knows what Lanier might have given them. "
"Renraku is out of cards, David. Nobody can stand against the whole Court when we’re unified behind a cause. The Veracruz Incident proved that."
The event Osborne referred to had occurred ten years ago, before either she or Hague had become justices. The so-called incident consisted of the world’s first-tier megacorps joining forces to punish one of their own for flouting the
Corporate Court
’s authority. A military strike against some of the target’s holdings had been carried out with surgical precision, and the message sent was clear: defy the Court’s edicts at your own peril. Now loomed the possibility that another megacorp was heading up that same dangerous road.
"I wish I shared your certainly," Hague replied. "Francesco Napoli is a pit bull. He’s not going to let go without a fierce fight, and by now he must know what you’re planning to present before the Court. Renraku’s got to know everything by now, including the fact that our case has holes in it. He seems too confident. If he wasn’t, he’d never have allowed this hearing to happen in the first place. He’d have come up with some kind of delaying tactic or—"
Osborne held up a hand to stop him. "Napoli doesn’t know all of the facts, David, and neither do you, just yet. It’s what I’m here to tell you."
Hague choked off a retort at the interruption, but he wasn’t really surprised by her words. He knew that Osborne’s loyalty to the Villiers faction of Fuchi put her more in the loop about the corporation’s plans now that Richard Villiers seemed to be consolidating his hold on the corp. Hague was allied with the Yamana family, which dominated Fuchi Europe.
"What are you talking about?" he said finally. "What do you mean I don’t know all of the facts? Has Fuchi been keeping something ... "
Osborne jumped in again before he could finish. "Not keeping something from you—just protecting our interests. Renraku isn’t the only corp with cards up its sleeve. Security on this was too tight to trust to anything but face-to-face communications. That’s why we’re talking in person. Now, will you listen for a moment?"
Hague swallowed his response and only nodded curtly. If Osborne noticed his annoyance at being kept in the dark, she didn’t show it. She just continued talking.
"The case against Renraku is more than just smoke and mirrors, David. There is real cause to believe they’ve violated the concords of the Court and that Lanier’s involvement is the key to it. We’ve got a lead on something that could blow the lid off this whole thing and implicate Renraku in serious violations of the balance of power. It’s the only explanation for what’s been happening."
Over the past year and a half, Renraku Computer Systems, one of the world’s three computer giants and a member of the
Corporate Court
, had gone from being a slumbering giant to become a runaway juggernaut on the global market. Renraku had been a powerful and prosperous company for years—one of the top eight in the world to claim a position on the Court—but its methods had been conservative and, most analysts thought, rather outdated.
That was before a twist of fate put Miles Lanier on the Renraku Board of Directors. Lanier was a go-getter and an aggressive executive known for his take-no-prisoners attitude toward business. His skill and cunning were well known to Fuchi Industrial Electronics. Lanier had been Fuchi’s chief of internal security, the head of the company’s most sensitive and important security arrangements and
That’s certainly true, Hague thought.
"But it doesn’t change the fact that Renraku has a lot of clout," he said. "Renraku has been handing us a lot of surprises over the past two years, and it’s just possible they might have a card up their collective sleeve that could trump even the Court. Who knows what Lanier might have given them. "
"Renraku is out of cards, David. Nobody can stand against the whole Court when we’re unified behind a cause. The Veracruz Incident proved that."
The event Osborne referred to had occurred ten years ago, before either she or Hague had become justices. The so-called incident consisted of the world’s first-tier megacorps joining forces to punish one of their own for flouting the
Corporate Court
’s authority. A military strike against some of the target’s holdings had been carried out with surgical precision, and the message sent was clear: defy the Court’s edicts at your own peril. Now loomed the possibility that another megacorp was heading up that same dangerous road.
"I wish I shared your certainly," Hague replied. "Francesco Napoli is a pit bull. He’s not going to let go without a fierce fight, and by now he must know what you’re planning to present before the Court. Renraku’s got to know everything by now, including the fact that our case has holes in it. He seems too confident. If he wasn’t, he’d never have allowed this hearing to happen in the first place. He’d have come up with some kind of delaying tactic or—"
Osborne held up a hand to stop him. "Napoli doesn’t know all of the facts, David, and neither do you, just yet. It’s what I’m here to tell you."
Hague choked off a retort at the interruption, but he wasn’t really surprised by her words. He knew that Osborne’s loyalty to the Villiers faction of Fuchi put her more in the loop about the corporation’s plans now that Richard Villiers seemed to be consolidating his hold on the corp. Hague was allied with the Yamana family, which dominated Fuchi Europe.
"What are you talking about?" he said finally. "What do you mean I don’t know all of the facts? Has Fuchi been keeping something ... "
Osborne jumped in again before he could finish. "Not keeping something from you—just protecting our interests. Renraku isn’t the only corp with cards up its sleeve. Security on this was too tight to trust to anything but face-to-face communications. That’s why we’re talking in person. Now, will you listen for a moment?"
Hague swallowed his response and only nodded curtly. If Osborne noticed his annoyance at being kept in the dark, she didn’t show it. She just continued talking.
"The case against Renraku is more than just smoke and mirrors, David. There is real cause to believe they’ve violated the concords of the Court and that Lanier’s involvement is the key to it. We’ve got a lead on something that could blow the lid off this whole thing and implicate Renraku in serious violations of the balance of power. It’s the only explanation for what’s been happening."
Over the past year and a half, Renraku Computer Systems, one of the world’s three computer giants and a member of the
Corporate Court
, had gone from being a slumbering giant to become a runaway juggernaut on the global market. Renraku had been a powerful and prosperous company for years—one of the top eight in the world to claim a position on the Court—but its methods had been conservative and, most analysts thought, rather outdated.
That was before a twist of fate put Miles Lanier on the Renraku Board of Directors. Lanier was a go-getter and an aggressive executive known for his take-no-prisoners attitude toward business. His skill and cunning were well known to Fuchi Industrial Electronics. Lanier had been Fuchi’s chief of internal security, the head of the company’s most sensitive and important security arrangements and
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