On December 23, 2020 Camber Energy, Inc. (“Camber”) acquired a 51% interest in the Company. On January 8, 2021 Camber acquired an additional interest in the Company resulting in Camber owning approximately 62% of the outstanding common shares of the Company. As a result, since December 23, 2020 Viking has been a majority-owned subsidiary of Camber. The December 2020 and January 2021 transactions, along with a new merger agreement executed by Viking and Camber in February 2021 are described further below. References below to the Company’s various debt arrangements are described further in Note 7.

 

December 23, 2020 Transaction

 

On December 23, 2020, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Camber, pursuant to which Camber acquired (“Camber’s Acquisition”) 26,274,510 shares of Viking common stock (“Camber’s Viking Shares”), constituting 51% of the common stock of Viking, in consideration of (i) Camber’s payment of $10,900,000 to Viking (the “Cash Purchase Price”), and (ii) cancelation of $9,200,000 in promissory notes issued by Viking to Camber (“Camber’s Viking Notes”). Pursuant to the purchase agreement, Viking is obligated to issue additional shares of Viking common stock to Camber to ensure that Camber shall own at least 51% of the common stock of Viking through July 1, 2022.

 

In connection with Camber’s Acquisition, the Company and Camber terminated their previous merger agreement, dated August 31, 2020, as amended, and Camber assigned its membership interests in one of Viking’s subsidiaries, Elysium Energy Holdings, LLC, back to Viking. Also in connection with Camber’s Acquisition, effective December 23, 2020, Camber (i) borrowed $12,000,000 from an institutional investor; (ii) issued the investor a promissory note in the principal amount of $12,000,000, accruing interest at the rate of 10% per annum and maturing December 11, 2022 (the “Camber Investor Note”); (iii) granted the Investor a first-priority security interest in Camber’s Viking Shares and Camber’s other assets pursuant to a pledge agreement and a general security agreement, respectively; and (iv) entered into an amendment to Camber’s $6,000,000 promissory note previously issued to the investor dated December 11, 2020 (the “Additional Camber Investor Note”), amending the acceleration provision of the note to provide that the note repayment obligations would also not accelerate if Camber has increased its authorized capital stock by March 11, 2021 (and Camber increased its authorized capital stock in February of 2021 as required). In order to close Camber’s Acquisition, effective December 23, 2020, Viking entered into a Guaranty Agreement, guaranteeing repayment of the Camber Investor Note and the Additional Camber Investor Note.

 

On December 23, 2020, the Camber Investor Note was funded, and Viking and Camber closed Camber’s Acquisition, with Camber paying the Cash Purchase Price to Viking and cancelling Camber’s Viking Notes, and Viking issuing Camber’s Viking Shares. At the closing, James Doris and Frank Barker, Jr., Viking’s CEO and CFO, were appointed the CEO and CFO of Camber, and Mr. Doris was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of Camber.

 

Extinguishment of $18.9 million promissory note

 

On January 8, 2021, the Company entered into another purchase agreement with Camber pursuant to which Camber agreed to acquire an additional 16,153,846 shares of Company common stock (the “Shares”) in consideration of (i) Camber issuing 1,890 shares of Camber’s Series C Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock to EMC Capital Partners, LLC (“EMC”), one of the Company’s lenders which held a secured promissory note issued by the Company to EMC in the original principal amount of $20,869,218 in connection with the purchase of oil and gas assets on or about February 3, 2020 (the “EMC Note”); and (ii) EMC considering the EMC Note paid in full and cancelled pursuant to the Cancellation Agreement described below.  The fair value of the 1,890 shares of Camber’s Series C Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock was determined to be $19,622,000 at the date of the transaction, as a result the Company recognized a loss on debt settlement in the amount of $926,531.

  

Simultaneously, on January 8, 2021, the Company entered into a Cancellation Agreement with EMC (the “Cancellation Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to pay $325,000 to EMC, and EMC agreed to cancel and terminate in the EMC Note and all other liabilities, claims, amounts owing and other obligations under the Note. At the same time, Camber entered into a purchase agreement with EMC pursuant to which (i) Camber agreed to issue 1,890 shares of Camber’s Series C Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock to EMC, and (ii) EMC agreed to enter into the Cancellation Agreement with the Company to cancel the EMC Note.

 

February 2021 Merger Agreement with Camber

 

On February 15, 2021, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Camber. The Merger Agreement provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, a newly-formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Camber (“Merger Sub”) will merge with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Camber.

 

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), each share: (i) of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Viking Common Stock”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, other than shares owned by Camber, the Company and Merger Sub, will be converted into the right to receive one share of common stock of Camber; and (ii) of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock of the Company (the “Viking Preferred Stock”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time will be converted into the right to receive one share of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock of Camber (the “Camber Series A Preferred Stock”). Each share of Camber Series A Preferred Stock will convert into 890 shares of common stock of Camber (subject to a beneficial ownership limitation preventing conversion into Camber common stock if the holder would be deemed to beneficially own more than 9.99% of Camber’s common stock), will be treated equally with Camber’s common stock with respect to dividends and liquidation, and will only have voting rights with respect to voting: (a) on a proposal to increase or reduce Camber’s share capital; (b) on a resolution to approve the terms of a buy-back agreement; (c) on a proposal to wind up Camber; (d) on a proposal for the disposal of all or substantially all of Camber’s property, business and undertaking; (f) during the winding-up of Camber; and/or (g) with respect to a proposed merger or consolidation in which Camber is a party or a subsidiary of Camber is a party. Holders of Viking Common Stock and Viking Preferred Stock will have any fractional shares of Camber common stock or preferred stock after the Merger rounded up to the nearest whole share.

 

At the Effective Time, each outstanding Company equity award, will be converted into the right to receive the merger consideration in respect of each share of Viking Common Stock underlying such equity award and, in the case of Company stock options, be converted into vested Camber stock options based on the merger exchange ratio calculated as provided above (the “Exchange Ratio”).

 

The Merger Agreement provides, among other things, that effective as of the Effective Time, James A. Doris, the current Chief Executive Officer of both the Company and Camber, shall serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Combined Company following the Effective Time. The Merger Agreement provides that, as of the Effective Time, the Combined Company will have its headquarters in Houston, Texas.

 

The Merger Agreement also provides that, during the period from the date of the Merger Agreement until the Effective Time, each of Camber and Company will be subject to certain restrictions on its ability to solicit alternative acquisition proposals from third parties, to provide non-public information to third parties and to engage in discussions with third parties regarding alternative acquisition proposals, subject to customary exceptions. Company is required to hold a meeting of its stockholders to vote upon the adoption of the Merger Agreement and, subject to certain exceptions, to recommend that its stockholders vote to adopt the Merger Agreement. Camber is required to hold a meeting of its stockholders to approve the issuance of Viking Common Stock and Viking Preferred Stock in connection with the Merger (the “Share Issuance”).

 

The completion of the Merger is subject to customary conditions, including (i) adoption of the Merger Agreement by Camber’s stockholders and approval of the Share Issuance by Camber’s stockholders, (ii) receipt of required regulatory approvals, (iii) effectiveness of a registration statement on Form S-4 for the Camber common stock to be issued in the Merger (the “Form S-4”), and (iv) the absence of any law, order, injunction, decree or other legal restraint preventing the completion of the Merger or making the completion of the Merger illegal. Each party’s obligation to complete the Merger is also subject to certain additional customary conditions, including (i) subject to certain exceptions, the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the other party, (ii) subject to certain exceptions, performance by the other party of its obligations under the Merger Agreement and (iii) the absence of any material adverse effect on the other party, as defined in the Merger Agreement.

 

Additional closing conditions to the Merger include that in the event the NYSE American determines that the Merger constitutes, or will constitute, a “back-door listing” / “reverse merger”, Camber (and its common stock) is required to qualify for initial listing on the NYSE American, pursuant to the applicable guidance and requirements of the NYSE as of the Effective Time.

 

The Merger Agreement can be terminated (i) at any time with the mutual consent of the parties; (ii) by either Camber or Company if any governmental consent or approval required for closing is not obtained, or any governmental entity issues a final non-appealable order or similar decree preventing the Merger; (iii) by either Company or Camber if the Merger shall not have been consummated on or before August 1, 2021; (iv) by Camber or Company, upon the breach by the other of a term of the Merger, which is not cured within 30 days of the date of written notice thereof by the other; (v) by Camber if Company is unable to obtain the affirmative vote of its stockholders for approval of the Merger; (vi) by Company if Camber is unable to obtain the affirmative vote of its stockholders required pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement; and (vii) by Company or Camber if there is a willful breach of the Merger Agreement by the other party thereto.

 

The Merger Agreement contains customary indemnification obligations of the parties and representations and warranties.