For the rest of the afternoon the princess and a couple of the embassy’s accountants went over the financial report with Jill and her step mother. Towards midafternoon when they took a break Lisa turned to Jill with the princess out of the room, “Is your head swimming?”
“A bit,” Jill replied, “You?”
“Jill, I got lost very quickly,” Lisa said getting a strange look from her step daughter.
“Mom your IQ is what 190 or something?” Jill asked.
“I know,” Lisa said, “But I learned just enough to handle my finances, and keep mine and your father’s bills paid. Sometimes I still mess up! Simply because I am a genius doesn’t mean I am one when it comes to money, now physical therapy I am your girl, but this stuff no way!”
Jill chuckled it was the first time she had ever heard her step mother admit to not being able to do something. “Mom, how do I thank the princess? She took on something she didn’t have to?”
“Jill,” the Princess came back into the room, “I most certainly had to!” “Why?” Jill asked, “Surely this is a lot of extra work.”
“You’re Sarge’s daughter.” The Princess held up her hand to quiet Jill for a bit, “He was my platoon sergeant when I came out of Beast Barracks. I had forced my way into the Black Guard. I really had no business being there. Somehow I got through beast without being killed! Then Dad pulled a string or two. He had heard about a young sergeant who was hot shit! He had trained a couple of officers when they came out of Beast. Dad felt that Mike was the best in the business and while he was quite willing to let his daughter become a marine, and later a Black Guardsmen, he wasn’t willing to let me be trained by some sergeant that didn’t know his business. Your father didn’t want me in the platoon. He thought that I would be a liability. He even went to the division commander asking that I be reassigned. No such luck. So reluctantly Mike took me on, teaching me what the Academy didn’t and what Beast hadn’t.” She paused, there was a lot more but she wasn’t going to tell her ward all of it. Especially with Lisa in the room! Though Carroll was certain that the older woman knew of the infatuation she once had with her husband, “Your father taught me that being an officer was more than knowing the rules, and regulations and being bossy. Not only how to plan a battle; but how to take care of the troops, the marines entrusted to me. He taught me how to take care of my people and how to bring them back home.
“He also got me out some hairy stuff,” the princess said, “Real hairy! I owed him big time. I couldn’t say no to him. Trust me though when I say I thought hard about his request, talking with my father over the situation, and your grandmother. But in the end I
couldn’t say no! “
The princess was quiet for a while then said, “Jill it hasn’t been that tough, and in some respects it’s been a good deal for me. I enjoy it.” “Enjoy it?” Lisa asked.
“I or the Admiral attend several EBio board meetings a year,” The princess said with a wicked smile, “can you image what some of those folks think when they see me or the admiral sitting at the table. The only better thing would be having Lisa here sitting there.”
Lisa smiled at the mere thought of being in the same board rooms with some of the people who had ordered her to be killed and her fellow clones. That would indeed be interesting!
Jill saw her step mother’s smile and wondered what it was all about. The general said “Now let’s continue.”
“Princess,” Jill said, “I am having trouble following some this stuff,” Jill looked to Lisa, “so is Mom.”
“I understand,” her trustee responded, “But we’re actually coming to the easy part.”
Later as they were wrapping up Jill turned to the older woman and said, “This was the easy part?”
“Do you want to go over the early part again,” the princess asked.
“No, I guess not,” Jill replied, “I am getting a bit of a handle on it though.”
“Oh,” Lisa commented, she wasn’t certain that she had even a partial handle on it.
“Yes I own around 80 percent of EBio’s stock, and stock in twenty or thirty other companies. Some as diverse as interstellar shipping lines, some biotech companies, there’s even a company that builds AIs. Because of what my great grandfather did there is some company property that is owned by me and is leased back to the company. But you know what is really strange and sad, is that I don’t own a single ship yard, and that none of the ships I own are close enough to Trena to make a difference here!”
Princess Carroll listened to what the girl said and commented, “You got the generalities of it. All the ships you own are on the other side of the empire and would take maybe two months to get here.”
“Princess how much direction can I give you?” Jill asked.
“Some,” The princess replied, “I will listen to what you have to say, and if it is something that I feel is inappropriate I will discuss it with you and once we have come to a compromise I’ll carry your wishes out. But be warned I do know what the meaning of the word NO is. Your grandmother and I must be in full agreement before anything with your fortune is done. Worse comes to worse a judge will be the tie breaker. So far we haven’t had to do that.”
“How long will you be my Trustee,” Jill asked.
“Until you are twenty five years old,” The princess said.
“What happens if you or grand mom dies?” Jill asked.
“My heir becomes your trustee,” the princess said thinking the question was a good one, “My heir is my son Max, Though at 10 he is much too young to be your trustee, what
I have done is ask Ned my husband to be your trustee should I die.”
“Dad’s grand mom’s heir,” Jill said, “I saw her will once and Dad is named as her heir as am I.”
“Your grandmother asked my father to be your trustee, should she die before the trust is completed,” The princess replied.
She was speechless as pondered the realities of who her trustees would be if her grandmother or Princess Carroll died. Finally he thoughts settle down she felt she needed to give the princess some direction.
“Princess,” Jill spoke, “I want whenever possible for my companies to help the people of Trena. I also want you to lease or buy any ship we can to help these people.” The princess looked at her ward and said, “Jill, I will do what I can; but a lot star lift suddenly became unavailable when the insurance companies refused to carry anyone working in this system.”
“Do what you can,” Jill said. In the short period of time that she had been on Trena she wanted to do anything she could for the people of Trena. Unfortunately, there was just so much she could do. Both she and Lamile had wanted to help, but there was nothing that the crown or her father had set up for kids to help with.
“I think that’s all we have to discuss,” Carroll said then as she began straightening things up on the table then she spied an envelope, “Oh I almost forget this!”
Jill and Lisa who were getting to their feet to leave stopped in their tracks.
“Jill, I had long talk with your father, and since I couldn’t get with your grandmother, I talked with a couple of people who I have come to trust since I have been here. Most notably Lord Mercer, Queen Agatha’s regent and guardian. They were of the opinion that you should be given an allowance.”
“But Dad and Lisa give me a hundred crowns a month,” Jill said, she had been surprised when her father had given her a card telling her it was her allowance a week or so back.
“I know,” Carroll said, “But this is drawn on your fortune. I’ve set up a line of credit for you here on Trena in the Bank of Terra. There is a five hundred credit limit on it. Any purchase greater than fifty crowns won’t go through until I approve it. Failing that Lisa or your father can approve it. Once a month the bank will automatically be paid for what you have spent, and keep your limit at 500. But it won’t do that until the early hours on the first of month. If you go over your limit early in t
he month, that’s your tough luck until the first.”
“I see,” Jill said. “Thank you Princess.”
“You are welcomed,” Princess Carroll replied, “Jill we will make this work. Is there anything else?”
“No. I think not,” Lisa said.
“Not quite,” Jill suddenly said. “I want you to send a message from me to the CEO telling her that I am ordering the closer operation closed! And she is to share with the IBJ what she knows about any crimes they may have committed. More importantly she is to recall the closer team hunting Dad and Lisa!”
“I have already told the CEO to pull the closers,” The princess bristled, “and so has Admiral So far the CEO has been unable to complete that directive. The security operation is independent and not even the CEO has been able to rein in the Closers.”
“I see,” Jill responded seeing how her request upset the Princess. “I should have known you would be trying to keep those people from harming mom and dad. So I guess there is nothing anyone can do?”
“We are watching,” Princess Carroll spoke to her ward, “and we have made it known to everyone we want her, dead or alive. Every cop on and off the planet is searching for her. I have the Imperial Bureau of Justice, and the Corps de Chameleon looking for this closer team. We have also beefed up security around your family. Right now it is really the best we can do!”
“I see,” Jill said resigned to the fact there was nothing she could do to stop the Closers. “Thank you Carroll.
Finished they left the conference room. When they were back outside, Lisa ducked into the limo for a second and came back out with her camera. She took several pictures of the people waiting to be seen by the repatriation offices of the Embassy. They got back into the limo and left for the palace.
###
The general concluded her lecture and asked the class if there were any questions.
“What I find interesting,” the princess injected, “was grand mom’s reaction to everything.”
“I didn’t know the queen then,” the general replied, “but from what I know her outward appearance was cool, calm and collected.”
“Her diaries from the period were interesting,” the princess continued, “I was reading last night that grand mom was…well let me read some stuff from them.
“When we went to see Princess Carroll I was surprised that mom was lost on the financial things,” The princess paused and found the entire class listening to her. Continuing, “I am still amazed at the revelation of being so rich. It is hard for me to realize that I own part of EBio. When the Princess showed me the books it blew me away. But what is really upsetting me is that the company I am owner of wants to harm my dad and mom. I don’t know why they would do that! I have asked the princess to see what she can do about it; but there isn’t anything she can do about the Closers. The money is blowing my mind away. I want to find some way to use it to help the people of Trena. I am not certain the Princess will let me spend what I think I should; but I haven’t broached it with her. I don’t know if I can call her direct to ask her to do things I want to do. From what Dad has commented on she is very busy helping secure Imperial resources for the evacuation and acting as what does Dad say oh yeah the SpecWar team lead.”
As Princess Lisa stopped reading, she looked around at her classmates and could see that many of them saw that their great grandmother wasn’t the cool calm collected young lady their text portrayed as.
Chapter 6: What Would Become Of Her?
Lamile Mitchum eagerly walked to class. She wanted to hear today’s lecture. Today’s lecture was on chapter six of their text. Chapter six not only discussed her name sake, Lamile, but also her grandmother Valerie. She wasn’t so lost in thought to forget to square her corners as she walked to the classroom. She had witnessed one of the senior year cadets fail to square his corners and one of the instructors had caught him. He got five demerits in his butcher bill earlier in the week. She knew he would be walking them off on the tenderizer. That piece of very hard pavement that she was familiar with. Having spent many an evening after evening rats being tenderized as she walked off her demerits!
She entered the classroom, thankfully before the General had arrived. If the general had begun her lecture she would have to stand at attention outside the class room for the entire class period. She would pick up ten chops in her bill, five for being tardy, and five for missing the class. That had gotten her some of her tenderizing tours. Lately she had not picked up any chops for being late to class. Sometimes just barely making it before the instructor had entered the classroom and began their lecture!
Now as she took her seat, she saw that Princess Lisa had just sat down also. Her nephews and nieces were already there. It was hard to believe she was an aunt to the princess. The same year that Princess Lisa had been born, she was born to Robert Mitchum, her father, the great grandson of Abigail and Robert Mitchum. That had been 19 years ago. She had grown up with the princess and her nephews and nieces. Sometimes the six of them had gotten into so much trouble they had been grounded as a group for weeks on end. As she reflected on this she realized all of them had continued their mischief at the academy. Spending more time before the mast than any other first year’s in their class. Between her tardiness and a couple the boys’ jokes they were being well tenderized!
The general walked in bringing the room to attention. When the room settled down the general began her lecture.
“Besides Queen Jill,” The general spoke, “two other young people helped to establish our academy. Lamile Atomi and Valerie Mitchum were instrumental in how our academy came about. Often over shadowed by our first queen, Valerie Mitchum had a profound effect on the formation of the academy. I was not around when Mitch first came to the attention of the authorities. If it hadn’t been for the closers Mitch might never have become a police officer.”
###
“I can’t believe that school is still in session,” T’ger, a thonian teenager commented as he sat down with them as they boarded the city bus to take them to their neighborhood,
“You would think that they would close school because so many of us are staying home.”
“Yeah,” Lamile remarked, “A lot of the guys are staying home.”
“That would be cool,” another kid was saying, “Not having to deal with Mr.
Kilner’s biology class would be great. Dissecting that frog, even a virtual one was gross!” “You’re friends with Marshal Wilson aren’t you Lam,” one of the girls asked.
“I’ve known Uncle Mike since I was born,” Lamile answered. “He’s been like a dad since my father was killed.”
“That’s right,” one of the thonians commented, “your father died almost a crimen ago. Things seem so normal with you it’s hard to believe that your family is still in mourning.”
“Yes,” Lamile agreed. Normal wasn’t the right word though. Her father had been killed almost three earth years ago, a crimen, as her people’s called their year. Her mother was still in mourning for her father and would be for at least one more sub crimen, a couple of months the way her human friends divided their crimens. The mourning period was not cultural, it was physiological. The aqaut, which had made her mother and father telepathic and empathic with each other, took a full crimen to dissipate in the surviving lifemate. Normally when a lifemate dies, their lifemate dies also. That was because the couple often died of shared illness, or old age. Her mother was one of rare exceptions. As her father had been killed suddenly, his death shock didn’t kill her. Her father’s death nearly a crimen ago, her mother’s period of morning, and healing was drawing to a close. Already she could see the difference in her mother.
Now a couple of months from the end her mother’s mourning her mother was if not back to her old self was changed for the better. She was already noticing that her mother didn’t look as haunted as she did when they had first arrived on Trena.
“You’ve known the M
arshal all your life then,” one of boys interrupted her thoughts. “Isn’t he spooky being a Black Guardsman? I’ve met a couple of them they are spooky to be around. Like Mr. Rice.”
Mr. Rice their civics teacher was indeed spooky to be around. He would be the cafeteria monitor during lunch and would defuse a situation before it became one. Talking to the kids involved, or removing the would be offender before the kid acted out. The kids loved him as he wasn’t like some of the other retired military and who were hard cases with the kids. She had never thought of her Uncle Mike was spooky. He was just Uncle Mike!
“No he’s not spooky,” Lamile replied, “He’s just Uncle Mike! He was only a Guardsman for few years. He became an MP after that. I’ve never known him as a Guardsman.”
“Remember when,” one of the boys spoke up, “he and Mrs. Wilson threw a birth day party for you last year. He’s cool!”
A couple of the kids chuckled as they remembered the joke they had tried to pull on her uncle. They threw a water bubble at him. It was a bubble with some water in it. Like the centuries old water balloon prank that usually ended up with someone getting wet. He just caught it before it hit him and threw it back to the boy who threw it at him. It was designed for just that thing. It could be caught; but if it wasn’t caught just right it would burst drenching the unlucky catcher with water. For almost fifteen minutes Uncle Mike and some of her friends tossed the water bubble around. Then her Uncle Mike deftly managed to hit the first kid squarely in the face. The bubble exploded drenching the kid with water. Everyone broke out laughing. Uncle Mike had endeared himself to her friends.
“Yeah,” one of the girls remarked, “He’s not spooky! He’s dreamy!”
Lamile had to agree with that! She remembered the night of the announcement and she saw her uncle in his dress uniform. If he not been lifemated to Aunt Lisa she would have been trying to lifemate him right then and there. He was very good looking. Almost as tall as her father, who had stood almost two lengths tall, her Uncle Mike stood one and three quarter’s lengths tall, or six and half earth feet tall. She had seen him with his shirt off and she swore he had muscles on his muscles!