The last Surveyor Flight to be on post of the first natives they had discovered was Surveyor Double Ought Eight. As they pulled out, the surveyor’s stealth system flickered allowing the leader of the Woods Clan to see the large boxy space craft for a few seconds. He was in a meadow a little ways from the clan’s village where he was pointing out the stars to his son when the stealth system failed. The head man didn’t know what it was he was seeing but he didn’t think it was a good omen.
###
“Sir Mike,” Marshal Wilson was working at home the Sunday morning after convention center bombing when Maggie knocked on the door to the study. He was watching the Sunday morning talk shows, as he read reports from his various staff officers and commands.
“Yes Maggie,” Michael said looking up from the reports.
“The captain from the Roustabout is here.” Maggie returned. “The palace staff brought him straight here.”
Wilson nodded. The Queen and Lisa had decided to pack up both girls to spend Sunday at the queen’s summer estate. Thinking it would be a nice get away for the kids, and the two of them. Lisa had suggested that they pick up Lamile, so as to give Mylea some quiet time also. Wilson had at first been hurt that the invitation didn’t extend to him, but his bride put it to him, “Michael, this is a gift from me and the girls to you. You need some quiet time. Give you some time to yourself.”
He had finally relented by saying next Sunday was his. He was surprised how much work he had gotten done and how it helped to get his mind together by just being a bachelor for a couple of days.
“Show him in Maggie and would you bring me and the good captain a pot of coffee?” Wilson asked. Maggie nodded and left to show the captain in.
“Good Morning Marshal,” The captain said as he came into the study, “I’m sorry to disturb your Sunday; but I wanted to make sure you got this before it’s leaked. I have my crew on restriction. No off ship communications and no leave or liberty until I deliver this report.”
“Well let’s see what you have,” the Marshal asked as Maggie set a coffee service on the edge of the desk and poured coffee for the two men and retired.
“Marshal I have a presentation for you, but when it is all said, and boiled down to the essentials; Cherokee, as we are calling the world, is unsuitable for our colonization. It’s a beautiful world, temperate, and quite livable, but already inhabited by a six century pre empire civilization. We hunted for evidence of a crashed star ship thinking that a colony or passenger ship crashed on the world but there was no evidence. Even if we had, they are so backward that it wouldn’t be a good idea to make contact. We put beacons out hoping that future visitors won’t land. I flagged the Star Exploratory Forces and the Council about the world and they’ll send patrols in every once in a while and try to keep the wolves out.” “Anything else captain,” Wilson asked.
“No sir,” the captain answered, “I’m sorry Sir Mike. I was truly hoping this would work.”
“Well it’s always a crap shot when we go look at a colonizable world. Publish your results.” Wilson said,
“Aye Sir,” the captain fired off a salute and left.
###
The next morning, during the Monday Staff Conference, further bad news was heard.
“Sir Mike,” General Langtree started, “I’ve now got enough space lift to start lifting people out. However without star lift we don’t have anything to lift them to. Sir Mike we don’t have enough heavy star lift to go anywhere.”
“That and the fact that we don’t have a place to take them,” Wilson responded.
“As of right now we have six months to get everyone off world.” Queen Agatha snapped, “We don’t have a place to take my people. Our people are dependent on you” She pointed to Marshal Wilson and swept the table where everyone was sitting, “and you guys carrying the ball. By the end of the week I want to know where you are going to take every one.”
The queen got up from the table and stormed out of the room.
“Well folks,” Wilson replied. “I can’t say I disagree with her. We need to come up with answers, and we’re getting short on time. We need to locate star lift, and a place to take our people.”
“Sarge,” Lady Gray who had been sitting in on the meeting spoke up. “You know the empire has moth balled several older attack carriers, they are in the Patton class. They are designed to deliver an entire army into battle with all their equipment, 40,000 combatants and enough materials for six months of war. I think that the IRS and the Imperial Navy have maybe a hundred or so heavy lift ships just going to pot.”
“And Marshal,” the Thonian ambassador, who was now part of these meetings said, “I think my people may also have some vessels that we could donate.”
“Okay that gets the heavy star lift done,” Wilson turned to Princess Carroll and the ambassador and asked. “Princess, Ambassador, will you see that we get those ships for me.”
“Yes sir,” the princess replied. The thonian nodded.
“Now what about a place to go,” Wilson said. “There’s got to be a place we can go.”
“Is there a vacant world we could occupy,” Larry Mercer asked,
“None close,” the Galactic Council’s ambassador commented, “nothing with in five hundred light years.”
“And then it’ll be a crap shot,” Marshal Wilson remarked.
Several people around the conference room nodded. Vacant worlds were worlds that had at one time a vibrant prosperous civilization; where an extinction level event had destroyed the world and all their civilizations and people who had lived on. Often there was no life anywhere on the world sometimes not even single cell life. Sometimes the world had been populated by an advanced civilization; but nothing sentient had survived. As a general rule the Galactic Council hesitantly issued exploration permits, and was reluctant to let them be colonized. The one time they had, the colonists had succumbed to a plague that killed them all. Most of the vacant worlds were proscribed and off limits.
“I would prefer that we find some other world before settling on a vacant world,” Marshal Wilson stated.
“Sir Mike,” Kellogg said after a few minutes of silence, “I almost hate to mention this.”
“Go ahead Kell,” Wilson encouraged the former EBio closer. Mike found it ironic that one of the most notorious near criminals on the planet was sitting in on this meeting. “EBio has several worlds. Many of them are unpopulated, and are used as training grounds for various closer teams and security personnel. We could buy one of those worlds and set up shop on them. There’s a world not too far from here twenty light years. It’s one of the abandoned worlds.”
The Marshal pondered what Kellogg had said. An abandoned or vacant world was a world that had at one time a vibrant bustling civilization at one time; but when discovered by Earthling or the Thonians were vacant. Many times they found the planet’s infrastructure completely intact. The buildings had been sealed and moth balled as if the owners were planning to come back. There were not that many, maybe a dozen. They were scattered all over explored space. When discovered the Galactic Council quarantined them, and supervised the exploration of them.
“And it was abandoned?” the marshal asked. “It was not a victim of a war or ELE?”
“No,” Kellogg answered, “there is no evidence of war or a large scale plague. There are no bodies, and there is no wide spread damage. It’s like they closed the place up like one would close up their summer home.”
“EBio owns it?” Marshal Wilson asked. Kellogg nodded.
“Yes,” Kellogg answered the Marshal, “EBio was thinking about a production world. Even had begun setting up the labs.”
“But we don’t know why EBio left the planet?” some asked.
“It became too expensive to manage.” Kellogg replied, “It is too far off the trade routes. So after a couple of years they closed down operations and left. It would have been the cheapest production world they own
ed. They didn’t have to build much. They only had
to build the production facilities. It wouldn’t take much for us to occupy it.” “The clones won‘t go for that,” Wilson retorted.
“No sir, not really,” Kellogg said, “There is a difference between being shipped in as a slave, and another coming to world as a free person to settle it.”
“He’s right Sir Mike,” Lord Mercer said. “The clones I know would kill for a chance to thumb their nose at the company.”
“General Quorum.” Wilson said, “You get Roustabout’s captain, and Kellogg together. I want that expedition mounted in forty eight hours. Jonesy I want a full pioneer kit to go with them.”
“Sir Mike,” Lady Hawthorne said from the holodisplay. “I’ll have a list of people who have pioneer skills and have said they’d like to pioneer ready by this evening. General Langtree, If you can have the containers delivered to these souls ASAP we can pull this off.”
“Lady Hawthorne, the Roustabout can’t carry many containers,” General Langtree spoke up. “The Roustabout will be hard pressed to carry a beefed up survey team. Let alone pioneers to get the place ready for the initial landings.
Delores frowned, “how do we get their stuff to them?”
“The first ship after the Roustabout we’ll make sure their stuff is on it.” Mike replied. “That’s the best we can do now.’
“What about those who don’t want to pioneer,” someone asked.
“We’ll need to start getting those people off world too.” The labor minister said. “I had wanted to make sure every one of these people had employment when they left Trena. But that’s not going to be possible. The recruiters won’t come here because of the bombing. I can’t say that I blame them. But we can start sorting people out who want to immigrate to other worlds.”
“Kellogg you said this world was somewhat civilized?” Wilson asked.
“Yes sir.” Kellogg replied, “EBio left it twenty years ago. But we found everything to support a modern civilization. I think it was someone’s colony at one time. I think there is housing to support three or four million people. But there’s plenty of natural resources for our people to draw on.”
“Lady Hawthorne,” Wilson called to the holodisplay. “Start putting together some construction battalions. When they go I want them to be self-contained, logistics people, medics, carpenters, electricians you name it. I want them a self-contained team. I want them selected by week’s end and ready to embark in three weeks. Princess I’ll want the first of the heavy lift equipment here by then.” “Aye-Aye sir,” The princess replied.
“Anything else,” Wilson asked. There was a chorus of no sirs and head shakes.
“Good enough, I’ll defer the emigration decision for three weeks.”
“Foreign minister,” then thinking better Marshal Wilson turned to Lord Kenworth the foreign minister, “I want a letter prepared for the Queen’s signature asking that all star nations that we have diplomatic relations with to consider allowing our people to emigrate to their worlds. I also want a list of colonies that are phase two and three where they are ready for people with manufacturing experience and are past the pioneer stage on their worlds. Mrs. Ambassador, Mr. Ambassador I would also appreciate what ever wheels you can grease to help our people. Your highness,” he turned to Princess Carroll, “anything you and your father can do I would appreciate. Now I need to speak with the Queen.”
Wilson got up and left. As he did he turned to Mac and asked, “Where is she?”
“The Queen is waiting in your office sir.” Mac said leading the way to the conference room that the Marshal was still using as his office.
Wilson entered his office and found the Queen sitting in his quest chair. She turned to him expecting him to lash out.
“You mad at me?” The young woman asked. She was afraid he would rip into her.
“No Aggie,” Wilson replied shocking her. “I am not.”
She was once again surprised by her marshal’s professionalism. She wasn’t so certain if their positions were different, that she wouldn’t have ripped into the older man. She was tempted to ask why. Instead she held her tongue.
“That outburst actually helped. It refocused us,” He continued, “EBio has abandoned a world twenty or so lights from here. Kellogg said it’s abandoned. I’ve ordered Qoum and Jonesy to ready Roustabout and dispatch her to this world. I have also instructed Jonesy and Lady Hawthorne to be ready to send the first pioneer ship to be go to the planet once Roustabout says it’s okay to okay to occupy. You helped to focus us.”
“Michael,” The queen exclaimed when she heard this, “That’s not one of your better ideas.”
“I know Aggie,” Wilson replied slumping into his chair, “but it’s worth a shot. If it’s abandoned which Kellogg says it could be it’s worth a shot. Something is nagging at me. Something about its ownership! If it’s occupied we’ll need to back track. I just wish what is nagging me at the back of my mind would get clearer. Oh well it will come to me.” He was silent for a few seconds as he pondered what was bothering him then shaking himself as if to clear his head he turned to his Queen.
“Aggie,” Wilson said, “I’m sorry that we’ve let you down.”
“Sir Mike,” Aggie looked to the older man, “I’ve been in each and every one of your staff meetings, and I have listened to your plans and have endorsed the actions you have taken. I’ll let you know when you have let me down. To date you’ve done your very best. Continue to do so.”
“Thank you ma’am,” Michael replied.
“Keep at it Michael,” the young queen got up and left. It wasn’t lost on him again, that the Queen was not that much older than Jill.
It was later in the day when it dawned on him what was bothering him about the world Kellogg had told them about. His daughter may actually own that world. He did a little digging and later made a couple of calls.
“Princess,” Wilson was talking to his old friend on the communicator, “Could you, and Lady Gray, meet with me later today.”
“Yeah,” General Alphine said, “would 1500 be okay?”
“If it works for Lady Gray,” Wilson said, “Oh before you ask, I need you as Jill’s proxy. I want to talk about EBio Planet Zulu Foxtrot 89. I have been talking with Larry and the thing that has been bothering me is that I think we can buy EBio Planet Zulu Foxtrot 89 from Jill.”
“Oh I see.” The princess replied.
Several hours later, Larry Mercer, Lady Gray, and the Thonian Ambassador, were shown into Wilson’s office. The Galactic Council Representative was already there.
“It’s your show,” The princess prompted.
“Okay Princess,” Mike started, “here’s the deal. Larry and I have been looking over some interstellar law. We believe that since Jill is the biggest shareholder of EBio, she could sell EBio Planet Zulu Foxtrot 89 to us or just give it to us. But I am concerned that should the biopeople file suit against EBio that we could lose the world.”
“Well it is not in Earth Space, nor is it in Thonian Space,” The Princess said, “So it would be hard to file suite in either of the Thonian or Earth Courts.”
“That is correct,” the representative from the Galactic Council commented. “The interstellar court would most likely not take the case as a human rights violation. The EBio worlds are not part of the Council. We have little information on them. From what you have said you and your daughter have not had day to day operational control over the company. As such I think it would be hard to sue you personally. I don’t know where they would be able to file.”
“According to Jill’s trust, everything you owned is now in her name.” Princess Carroll stated, “So you couldn’t be sued anyway. Now Jill on the other hand can be sued in the Empire. She more or less owns EBio since she is the single largest shareholder of
EBio she can be sued big time.”
“But I thought you were trying to get her out of
EBio,” Mike replied.
“We have tried. Some of the minor stock holders are employees who were given stock as part of their retirement package. Also to be on the board of directors each and every board member must own stock. Some of them only have a nominal amount, one or two shares.” The Princess replied, “None of them would be able to buy even one share of Jill’s stock. Because of the articles of incorporation Jill’s stock can’t be sold to anyone other than the descendants of EBio’s original founders. Jill and you are the only surviving direct descendants of EBio’s founders.
“Of the four founders of EBio, only Hazelton’s line survives. One of the original founders died with no children. Not even a spouse. One of the founders’ heirs died in a mysterious fire at their home. It killed every one in the founder’s family. The prenupts prevented her spouse’s family from inheriting her EBio stock. Besides one of the step children had set the fire. The third heir had left his portion of the company to his daughter. The daughter was an adopted biowoman. Hazelton led the charge to get her disinherited. He was successful because the corporate instruments stated that only normal non bioengineered humans could own anything of EBio. Because of that Jill is the sole surviving heir of the founders.
“So that leaves Jill as the majority stock holder of the company,” The Princess continued, “What we have done when possible is to sell off what we could from the company and take the profits and invest them in non EBio instruments.
“Why do you ask,” Princess Carroll asked.
“I was hoping you could just turn this world over to us,” Wilson asked.
“That I may not be able to do,” Princess Carroll said flatly. “If it is owned by EBio itself, then only the chief financial officer can dispose of it. Neither Admiral Wilson or I, can dispose of EBio’s property.”
“That makes sense,” Larry Mercer commented, “Only the CEO or chief finical officer can dispose of company assets.”