“But you said if it is owned by EBio,” Mike asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Sometimes EBio titled property in EBio’s name or company officers.” The princess answered, “It may be owned by Jill.”
“I see,” Marshal Wilson responded. Not certain why EBio would do something like that he asked, “Why would they do something like that?”
“Mostly to keep Dad’s investigators from snooping,” the princess responded. If it was titled in EBio’s name the Imperial Bureau of Justice and the Bioengineering Commission could pay a visit to see if any imperial law is being broken. Under Jill’s name and being outside the empire the IBJ was unable to make unannounced visits.” “Is there some way to find out about the ownership,” the Queen asked.
“Yes,” the Princess said, she took out her pad and spent a few minutes interrogating the database of Jill’s assets then turned to the group, “Well it took some doing but I finally got a list of property owned by Jill. I knew it would be in her financial reports. But she does own Zulu Foxtrot 89. It is one of about thirty or forty planets, both inside and outside of the empire she owns.”
“So where do we go from here?” Michael asked.
“Your lordship,” the Thonian Ambassador said softly, “you have your daughter write a contact. The contract will be with the Crown here on Trena. This contract is to first check on the planet to see what condition is it in. If the planet is uninhabited the contract will stipulate that Jill representatives can make the planet ready for re occupation. Then write a separate contract or a codicil to the original with the Kingdom of Trena to provide people to settle it. By not calling it a colony and leaving it in your daughter’s name we get around the sticky business of the Queen’s charter and Trena’s constitution.”
“What if it is occupied?” Marshal Wilson asked.
“Not much we can do,” Lord Mercer responded, “Just like EBio claimed it as salvage because it was abandoned, so could anyone we find on it!”
“It’s not abandoned,” The Princess said, “There is a beacon telling all who owns the world!”
“So we issue the contracts and hope for the best.” Wilson looked to the council representative, “Is that okay with the council?”
“I think that will work,” the council representative replied, “the council was struggling with the Queen and her people colonizing another world. This will work.”
“Okay so I need to talk to Jill.” The Marshal said wondering how to approach his daughter.
Mercer was deep in his thoughts missing what the marshal said. What Larry was thinking though, was that as people left Trena; the nobles and politicians were going to want to retain the power they now held. That they would try to fill the power vacuum with their own idea of what a government should be and it wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing they developed. There were many in the Trena parliament who wanted to be king rat that would be dictators if given the chance. By leaving Jill in control of the world they might be able to keep some of the political fun and games to a minimum.
“Sir Mike, the Thonian Realm will without saying support your decision and help to establish the people of Trena on EBio Planet Zulu Foxtrot 89.” The Thonian Ambassador stated.
“As will the people of Earth Empire,” The princess joined in.
“Larry, get the contract written.” Wilson said, “Somehow I have to break it to Jill. This is going to be interesting.”
###
“Jill,” her father came into her where she was working through some homework some time later. “We need to talk.”
“About what,” the teenager asked, wondering what she had done now.
“Well something’s come up that you have to be part of and that you need to be fully informed on.” He then went on to explain what they had found out about EBio Planet Zulu Foxtrot 89.
“I want you talk with the Princess. She is your representative on Trena right now for your finances. She will explain it to you.” He finished telling Jill about the planet she owned.
“But you are my father,” Jill replied.
“I know and where most things are concerned I can speak for you and with you and we’ll make things work.” Her father said, “But this is too important and since I don’t control your financial assets, you need to talk with Princess Carroll. Your grandmother and the Princess are your financial guardians. The Princess has been letting you know what’s going on in your portfolio for the last couple of weeks now, if I remember what she said.” His daughter nodded.
“So I want you to see her and let her explain it all to you.” Wilson said. “Jill, I want you to know that any decision you make will be okay.”
Jill was silent as she contemplated what her father said. The next day she asked her detail to take her over to General Alpine’s Fletcher Militia Base office. The general had been expecting her. When she entered the general’s office; she was in conversation with one of her officers.
“All right,” the future empress of the Terran Empire was saying, “we have nothing else for the bag. Just get that courier on her way.”
“Yes ma’am,” the officer replied, “By your leave?”
The heir of the Earth Empire nodded seeing her ward in the outer office “come on in Jill.”
“Dad said we should talk.” The younger Wilson said.
“About the EBio planet,” The princess asked. Jill nodded.
“It’s simple.” Princes Carroll continued, “EBio owns a world or rather you do twenty light years away. The Trenan people want permission to explore it and inhabit it.
They can’t do that without your permission.” “Why mine and not EBio’s CEO,” Jill asked.
“That’s a good question,” the princess replied, “It is a world that is owned by you but was up to a while ago managed by EBio. Years ago when this world was first discovered and colonized by the company it was put in your grandmother Hazelton’s name. She most likely didn’t even know that she owned it. But what this does for us is it puts you as the owner with a clear title and not that of the company.” “Why me and not dad,” Jill asked.
“When your father left imperial space he turned all his holdings over to you. He couldn’t just abandon them so he had to transfer them to you so a direct descendant of the Hazelton Fortune would have control of them. That’s what’s in your great grandfather’s will.”
“Now I remember we talked about this when I got here last month.” Jill said remembering the session. It surprised her then how much she owned. It still didn’t make much sense. It was something she was going to have to get straight over time. “So I own everything Grandmother Hazleton owned and left dad, who in turn gave it all to me.”
“That’s right,” the princess said, “That’s why I needed to talk with you this morning.”
“Dad mentioned something about a contract.” Jill asked.
“What everyone thinks is that you need to authorize an expedition to check on the planet. To see what type of shape it is in.” The princess answered. “If it is inhabited you may need to deal with the squatters. Kellogg thinks it has been abandoned by EBio so there may not be anyone left behind.”
“If it’s occupied,” Jill asked she couldn’t comprehend an earth like world that wasn’t occupied.
“That’s why we’re sending in an exploration party to find out what is going on.” her trustee answered. “If we find out it is occupied then we determine who they are and go from there,”
“If we find it abandoned?” Jill asked.
“Then phase two of the contract is to allow people to start inhabiting it.” The princess replied.
“In other words, a colonial contract,” Jill asked. That got the general’s attention.
The scope of the question was one she hadn’t expected out of a teenager.
“Yes,” the woman replied. “Though colonization is not the phrase I would use as the world won’t be a colony of anyone. I would say a habita
tion contract.”
“Why can’t you just authorize this,” Jill asked. “Wouldn’t it be within your job duties as my guardian to check on all my holdings?”
“Yes it is my job to check on all your holdings or to see that it was done.” The
Princess answered, “After receiving the brief’s I’ve gotten from Lady Gray and the Galactic Council Rep. It seems my guardianship of your finances is good in the Thonian Realm, Trena, The Earth Empire, but because the planet is so expensive and outside of a star nation’s territory, all parties believe that since you are almost eighteen, feel that you need to be fully involved in the contract. They don’t want any problems. They are afraid that EBio might throw a fit and since it is just out there as an independent world they feel you as its owner need to have some say in the world’s future.”
“I see,” Jill commented, and said, “Is there a draft?”
“Yes. Let’s go over it,” the princess said. They spent the rest of the afternoon on the contract. The princess was surprised by how much her young ward picked up, and more surprised when she took out a whole section concerning the governing of the planet.
“I think that’s putting the horse before the cart Princess,” Jill said, “There will be no need for a government on this world unless it’s habitable, and then only if it’s uninhabited so we can inhabit it. Let’s let the Wilson family retain control of the world. If the world is suitable for habitation we’ll deal with ruling it then. At the present time it is sufficient to authorize a mission to the world and see what is going on with it. If it is uninhabited I’ll authorize people to begin settling it. Until that happens there will be no need for a government. Besides you can hire agents who are government officials of the crown here to supervise.”
“Okay Jill.” The princess replied a little astounded that Jill made that change. But it was a change she thought would work.
“Let’s go see the Queen,” the Princess said. She called the palace and found out that the Queen was in her office and would wait for them. The Princess forwarded the revised contract to the Queen, Marshal Wilson and Lord Mercer. By the time they got to the queen’s office, everyone had read it. No one changed another word of it.
“Jill,” Queen Agatha replied. “The people of Trena thank you. I have signed the contract.”
“Princess Carroll,” Jill said, “Can I sign it? Or do you have to?”
“We both sign it,” the Princess said, she signed her name and then thumb printed the contract and gave it to Jill. Jill did the same. Their thumb prints sealed the deal by leaving their DNA on the document. The DNA while not 100% full proof was nearly, as it took a very special cloning lab to make a near perfect clone of an existing person. Just creating the person on a world other than the world of the person’s birth could be traced, due to the differences in gravity and back ground radiation that caused some minor mutations that were easily checked. Jill’s DNA was on file in the empire and as part of her pass port. It would be hard to say the signature wasn’t hers.
“I am releasing the Roustabout to Wilson enterprises,” the Queen said after the signatures were affixed to the contract.
“They will be on their way shortly.” Marshal Wilson replied turning to his daughter,
“Jill thank you.”
“I guess I should treat you as a peer,” Aggie remarked.
“Pardon,” Jill asked, the comment taking her by surprise.
“From what Princess Carroll said, and what my own foreign department has researched you are an empress in your own right.” Aggie said.
“Yeah right,” Jill said, still in a little awe over the situation.
“Thank you,” Aggie said, “we will never forget your gift Queen Jill.”
“I don’t want to be a queen!” Jill said. “I just want to be a girl!”
“I’ll stop needling you Jill,” Aggie replied, she understood a bit of Jill’s statement. When her parents died years before she hadn’t wanted to become queen. It had been her mother’s job to be the Queen. “Thank you again.”
Jill left the Queen’s residence with Princess Carroll. As she walked with the future ruler of the Earth Empire to her car she asked, “Am I really that rich?” “Yes you are,” Princess Carroll.
“I sometimes find it difficult to believe all of this,” Jill said, “I mean I own that planet, and was able to sign it off to Queen Aggie.”
The marine corps general, who had been around Jill off and on for much of her seventeen years, paused for a minute. She knew how easy it was to be over awed with her life. As the future Empress of the Earth Empire she had always known what it meant to be rich and powerful. Jill though, still thought of herself as a daughter of a Marine Corps enlisted man. She didn’t realize that her father was the most powerful person on Trena next to Queen Agatha and that she herself could buy the planet Trena three or four times over with just her pocket change.
“You’ll get used to it.” The princess general consoled her ward, “Just remember you can buy almost anything you want, but that is not your wealth. You were wealthy before you even knew of your fortune. Your wealth is based in family. Your dad, stepmother, sister and soon to be brother or sister, your friends are what makes you wealthy.
Money just makes you rich, family and friends make you wealthy.”
Jill shut the door to the general’s car and walked back to the residence. She was deep in thought and didn’t see her step mother quietly observing her as she came up the walk. Lisa was concerned for her step daughter. She was being hit with a lot of stuff all at once. Lisa didn’t know how to deal with all of it. Partly because she didn’t understand it all that well herself. She knew that her husband was rich, but it wasn’t real to her. Since they had come to Trena they had always lived on his police department salary. They had to because Michael had brought only a modest amount of money with them, leaving most of his fortune in the Empire.
“Kind of overwhelming isn’t,” Lisa asked as her step daughter started to step onto the porch.
“Very,” Jill said, sitting down on the porch stoop. Lisa sat down next to her and hugged her.
“I know it’s going to be difficult,” Lisa said. “I wish I had to words to help you.”
Jill looked at her step mother and said softly, “Just be here for me. Just be here for me. I don’t understand all of this. It over whelms me to think of the money that I have. It is so much that it has no meaning for me. I just signed off on a contact that allows Aggie to explore a planet I own. Three months ago I was living in my grandmother’s home, a military brat, now I don’t know…”
Lisa said nothing for a while then said, “Jill. Life is throwing some strangeness at you right now. It can’t be helped. Deal with the parts you understand, the parts you can actually do something about. The other parts when it is time for you to deal with them you’ll be able to.”
“Is that how you deal with most things?” Jill asked.
“Try to,” Lisa said, “I focus on what I can get done, and deal with what I can’t. I was on the run for nearly fifteen years and throughout it all I had to focus on the today; worry a bit about future and try not to dwell on the past. Not much we can do about the past. Except maybe learn from it.”
They lapsed into silence for a bit, both lost in their thoughts. Jill wondering where she was headed and Lisa was wondering how to help her step daughter remain a girl.
###
“Miss Wilson,” a tall young man entered the study with Jenny in tow the next morning. Jill was catching up on some last minute homework before she went to school.
Jill turned to see the pair.
“Yes.” Jill said closing her tablet.
“I’m Pete Voinic,” the young man said, “I am the PIO for your father.”
“What can I do for you,” Jill asked, having seen him and her father working on some of the public affairs issues for the evacuation.
“Since your gift,” Pete stated, “we
need to get some more information about you.” “My gift,” Jill asked not sure what the young man was talking about.
“The EBio planet that you own,” Pete replied.
“What type of information?” Jill asked, “You know my father is fairly adamant about keeping me out of the lime light.”
“It’s okay Jill,” Jenny spoke up, “I cleared it with the Marshal.” “What do you need,” Jill asked.
“Not much,” Pete said, “We need a photo to add to the press release. Your father seemed to think you were only fifteen.”
“No I will be eighteen on my next birthday,” Jill giggled a bit, her father always thought she was younger than she was.
“You were born on Mars right,” The man asked.
“Yes,” Jill said, “I was born at Marine Corps Barracks, Westpoint Mars.” “Your mother Killen died on Mars?” Pete asked.
“Yes she died when I was born,” Jill replied a little subdued. She had never known her mother. Her grandmother and Mylea were the two mother figures in her early life.
“Your grandmother is Admiral Wilson of the Interstellar Rescue Service,” Pete continued.
“Yes,” Jill brightened a bit as she replied, “She’s been retired about three years now. But with my father still being deployed around the empire grand mom said she would look after me a long time before dad left Earth.”
“Is there anything you want to say about the gift you have given the people of Trena?” Pete asked.
Jill was silent for minute, and then said, “I think we’re putting that ahead of things. Let’s see what the Roustabout finds before I make any announcements about the world.
Now if you don’t mind I need to get to school.”
“Thanks Miss Jill,” Pete concluded.
###
Princess Lisa concluded the passage, “It was almost too much for me to deal with. But I felt good about what I was able to do for the people of Trena. Listening to mom helped; but it is still a lot to comprehend. I was tempted to ask the princess how many other worlds that I owned. But it frightened me to a certain extent. Mostly because how do I deal with them.”
The speakers chimed and the AI called, “Lights out in five minutes cadets.”
“Okay guys let’s get going,” The cadet sergeant spoke up, “I’ll be along in a bit to check on you.”