CHAPTER 284: THE BLUEPRINT FOR A BUSINESS EMPIRE- 2

Head of Product Manufacturing & Logistics of Heimdall, Mr Samuel Jones, rose to speak.

"I’d like to brief everyone on our current manufacturing situation. We’ve developed a large Special Economic Zone in Nigeria and have already stockpiled an initial batch of phones and laptops. Our Nigerian representative, Miss Aisha Bello, is expediting the establishment of the remaining production lines. If everything proceeds according to plan, we should be fully operational within the next month... able to supply all required products for the Communications Company."

Chief Marketing Officer Mr Kenji Tanaka frowned slightly. "Why Nigeria? We already have a production base in the United States. Many companies have shifted to China or India for cost efficiency. Some have even moved to Vietnam. What’s the reasoning here?"

Before Jones could answer, Deputy CEO of Heimdall, Major (Ret.) Henry Martyn Robert, leaned forward, his tone calm but resolute. "Strategic diversification. China is off the table... too politically volatile. Vietnam and India are reaching saturation point. Yes, we already have a strong presence in India, but Nigeria offers us something unique: a vast and youthful workforce, competitive labour costs, and a government hungry for foreign investment.

"More importantly, it’s geographically positioned to serve both European and African markets, dramatically reducing shipping time and logistics expenditure. We can establish a state-of-the-art automated production facility just outside Lagos, under strict security oversight. This strategy shields us from the fallout of the US–China trade war. It’s a bold move," he concluded, "but the right one."

Alistair Finch, Heimdall’s General Counsel, interjected with a measured nod. "I’d like to add a word of caution. Once we launch globally, we’ll face a wave of protectionist backlash."

"Take the United States and China, for instance," he continued. "Their trade war isn’t merely about tariffs... it’s a technological cold war. Our devices, equipped with advanced satellite modems and a proprietary operating system, could easily be categorised as critical telecommunications infrastructure by both sides.

"If we manufacture in Nigeria using American-designed chips, China will almost certainly ban the import and sale of our products outright, under the guise of national security. That’s a predictable obstacle.

"The subtler, more dangerous threat," Finch added grimly, "lies in their potential response to our smart tags in the logistics sector."

Head of Global Business Development, Anya Sharma, spoke next. "I agree with Mr Finch on this matter. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is the largest logistics undertaking in human history. If we launch our logistics company with a global tracking system that bypasses the terrestrial networks they can monitor, Beijing will see it as a direct challenge to their strategic infrastructure dominance. They could easily pressure their partner nations in Africa and Southeast Asia to reject our Smart Tags or impose punitive ’data transit’ fees.

"Our entire value proposition rests on unbroken visibility across the supply chain," she continued. "China can... and will... create breaks if we allow them the opportunity."

Teresa looked up from her notes. "What’s the solution here?"

"Dual-track branding and a strategic subsidiary," Anya replied without hesitation. "Within China’s sphere of influence, we cannot appear as Heimdall. We’ll need to acquire or partner with a local logistics data firm, one that appears neutral and non-threatening, to handle those specific trade routes. Our core tracking system remains exclusive to transatlantic and allied markets. We cannot win a head-on confrontation with Beijing’s state-backed economy. We must go around it."

Alistair Finch immediately followed, his tone turning sombre. "And the same principle applies to Russia. The moment we launch, they’ll accuse us of espionage... claiming our commercial satellites are mapping their military installations. Expect a disinformation campaign branding our phones as CIA spy devices. We’ll need a proactive communications strategy in place before it happens."

Kenji Tanaka leaned forward with a thoughtful expression. "We can frame it as transparency versus opacity. Our public stance should be: ’Heimdall believes in open, secure connectivity for all. Those who fear openness have something to hide.’ Let their accusations reinforce our narrative, not undermine it."

"Good," Teresa said with a nod. "Now... what about the allies we take for granted? The European Union?"

Finch gave a dry, knowing chuckle. "The EU is a bureaucracy built to erect obstacles under the banner of citizen protection. GDPR was only the opening act. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) could classify Heimdall Global Ventures as a gatekeeper platform. That would compel us to interoperate with competitors, forbid preferential treatment for our own products, and even mandate data sharing on request.

"In short," he concluded grimly, "it could strangle our ecosystem in its crib."

Dr. Graham’s expression hardened. "Can they force us to open our proprietary OS?"

"Potentially, yes," Finch replied evenly. "The Digital Markets Act grants regulators extraordinary powers. If they classify our ecosystem as ’essential infrastructure,’ they could demand interoperability or even partial disclosure of our core framework. A nightmare scenario, yes... but one we can avoid."

He adjusted his cufflinks and continued, "Our objective is simple... avoid legal entanglements at the start. Once we’re dragged into litigation, it becomes a decade-long chess match across Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg. We lose momentum. But don’t worry... our legal team has already prepared exhaustive documentation to guarantee our entry into the EU market. Once we’re operational and in the public eye, they’ll need us more than they fear us. When European citizens realize their so-called ’privacy’ rests in the same constellation as the God Eye system, Brussels will find a reason to cooperate."

The room fell silent for a moment before Henry Robert spoke, his voice edged with concern. "And what of the debt trap?" he asked. "Many nations in Africa and Asia are drowning under Chinese loans. If we establish a data center in, say, Kenya... where Beijing holds billions in infrastructure debt. What stops them from demanding data access as collateral? Sovereignty becomes meaningless when the creditor owns the ground beneath the server."

Samuel Jones nodded gravely. "That’s precisely why Nigeria was the right call for our African base. It’s not immune to external pressure, but it has a far more diversified economy and a government confident enough to resist single-creditor leverage. For other debt-heavy nations, we must assume every ground station is a potentially compromised node. Our network’s resilience must come from compartmentalization, not trust."

Teresa leaned back slightly, assessing the group. "Then we won’t overextend. For now, we stay firmly within NATO’s sphere of influence. Plan for these grey-zone regions in Stage Two. We have enough allies elsewhere to expand safely."

She tapped her tablet, scrolling through her notes. "For coordination outside NATO, contact Miss Maya Patel. She’s already working with our diplomatic intermediaries. And for the record... Heimdall already maintains cooperative relationships with influential local players in Nigeria, Russia, and India. That leverage remains... useful."

Dr. Graham nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. As for software," he added, "development stays in our US core offices. The talent pool here is unmatched, and it’s easier to maintain compartmentalized security. But we are opening a secondary R&D center in Estonia... a country that practically breathes digital innovation and cybersecurity. It’s the ideal hub for encryption and AI integration research."

Teresa cleared her throat. "Some of you may not know," she began, her voice steady but deliberate. "In the last few months, we’ve quietly recruited a number of top Chinese and Russian-origin engineers from American firms... and relocated them to the Kingdom. They’re now based in our Manchester office, forming the nucleus of our new R&D centre there."

She leaned back slightly, fingers steepled. "Given the rising geopolitical tension, many of these professionals no longer feel secure in the US. Miss Raynor anticipated this situation and instructed us to bring in talent during the transition window. If any of you know individuals of similar calibre... particularly those with families... we can expedite their relocation. We provide housing in Manchester, and Heimdall can assist in obtaining Kingdom citizenship for key recruits."

Teresa allowed herself a faint smile. "Miss Raynor, you may not know, is the granddaughter of the Earl of Birmingham and former Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Her influence within the Kingdom’s institutions is... substantial."

Then, more briskly she said, "But that’s another matter. Let’s return to the agenda."

Dr. Ilya Petrov, the chief network architect, rose and spoke in his faintly accented English. "The technical separation between NATO’s network and the commercial system is complete," he reported. "Every ground station now hosts two independent server clusters within the same facility... one under NATO jurisdiction, one commercial. They are separated by a physical air gap. No cables, no shared buses, no possibility of digital bleed-through. NATO auditors can confirm it whenever they wish."

He tapped a few keys, bringing up a schematic. "For example... the Heimdall Phone data from a user in Paris routes through our Frankfurt commercial cluster. The God Eye surveillance pass over Paris is processed entirely within NATO’s restricted server vault in the same building. Two systems. Two sovereignties. No intersection."

The room fell into contemplative silence. The architecture was elegant, compliant... and deceptive. They all knew it. Heimdall was building not just infrastructure, but a citadel of plausible deniability... fortified by legal partitions, physical geography, and technological opacity.

Finally, Kenji Tanaka broke the quiet. "So, Communications first," he said, adjusting his tie. "I’ve reviewed the global telecom landscape. There are fifty-three mobile operators either collapsing or drowning in debt. We could buy them for a very low price. The issue is... most of their infrastructure is obsolete. Legacy towers, outdated routing systems. They’re not worth modernizing. Even at a low acquisition cost, we’ll bleed money."

Teresa didn’t hesitate. "Don’t worry about short-term losses." Her tone sharpened, commanding. "This is Heimdall. We don’t measure in quarters... we measure in epochs."

She looked around the table, meeting each person’s eyes in turn. "Buying existing companies isn’t about their equipment... it’s about licences, market access, and time. Bureaucracy kills momentum. Time is our only irreplaceable resource. If we lose a few billion but save a year, we win."

She stood, voice gathering power as she continued, "And remember... Heimdall isn’t merely launching a product. We are introducing ourselves to the world. We will provide the connectivity that drives commerce, the visibility that governs trade, the security that safeguards nations, and the content that defines culture. There will be no roaming, no borders. Heimdall will be everywhere, all the time."

Her eyes swept the room. "So, don’t do anything that makes us look small. Not now. Not ever."