Chapter 35
A Meeting of the Board
The table was long with six members comfortably placed on each side. There was ample room for the beverages and pastries placed in front of the board members.
The lady at the end of the table was standing with a small pointer in her manicured hand. She was dressed to the nines and she was the personification of wealth and power. As she spoke she supported her delivery with the graphs displayed on the huge monitors on the wall behind her.
Using the pointer she followed the profit sharing display graph showing a dismal decline in profits across the board. She led them from the beginning high point through the severe dip that neared the negative border line shown on the presentation.
Changing graphs she pointed out the low point that was the beginning of this chart and followed it through the rise that finished with the current position. The rise was dramatic and profit sharing had recovered almost half of its previous high point in a very short time.
"This low point is where I came on board. I'm not here to blow my own horn but, as you can see, my actions and results speak for themselves." She smiled and the board smiled with her.
"How did you turn things around? I know we left it up to you but, for our information, how did you do it?"
"I don't think you really want to know, plausible deniability might serve you well." She explained.
"Excuse me, Ms. President, there is a buyer out here who would like to meet the board. He has deposited a, nonrefundable, million credits to our account for the opportunity.
"A million huh, that's double what we normally require for a meeting. I suggest you show him in, any objections?" The president said and seeing no objections she usher the secretary out to bring the buyer in.
It was an entourage of six that entered, lead by the smallest of the group with the large warman bringing up the rear. "Good morning everyone, I am Jacque Cleboe from the planet Carrier and I need your assistance."
"Good morning Mr. Cleboe, how may we assist you?" The president asked.
"I am the owner of all the taverns on our planet and I'm only perceived as such. I have the desire to be a lot more. I want to be, if you will forgive my bluntness, the ruler of that little world. My opposition is ruthless and has a small army to back him up and I only have what you see here." Jacque swept his hand across indicating his small following.
"Well we can help you, I have some things that would surprise your opponent. Do you have anything for the board members to consider?" She asked.
"Well maybe this one thing." Jacque said as he pulled Andrea to the front of his small group and as her cloak fell to the floor she began.
"I need your help. My father has been taken..." Andrea started her spiel as she mechanically walked toward the front of the table.
It was not bedlam as they had expected. The board members simply sat and, with rapt attention, they followed Andrea as she moved forward.
That was not the case with the board president, she was in a panic and looking for a way out. She, of course, went for her bag and pulled a small remote device out. It was the same or similar to the one the tech had previously tried to use. She stabbed the buttons over and over with her eyes getting bigger and bigger as Andrea approached.
Andrea continued her spiel as she walked right up to the president and relieved her of the small remote device. "That thing doesn't work on me, sorry."
The questions from the board members were too numerous and noisy to understand. Scott held up his hand and waited for the commotion to subside.
He held up his badge, then he waited until the new outburst subsided. "Your president is under arrest for numerous counts of murder. If we find any evidence of involvement or knowledge of wrong doing by any of you, you will also be arrested. I suggest you should cooperate fully with our investigation. Now I will take your questions, one at a time please."
Scott answered their question as best he could. He explained the misuse of the space net, the use of the androids and the attempted elimination of his organization.
They cooperated fully and admitted to knowledge of the use of the net for encouraging shopping but did not realize or know of the use in those violent attacks. The mind bending transmission that changed everyday people into assassin was hard for them to believe. The video Scott found in the president's office was shown to the board members. The explosion of the android in that demo was received as unimagined horror by those present.
Colby sent a team to assist with the board members investigation.
Cliff had volunteered and brought another team in to assist. He was delighted to be a part of this team that would get with Luke and see his products. They, with the permission of Andrea, removed all the explosives from the fleet of androids stored in that massive structure.
Andrea signed a contract that allowed Luke to reprogrammed them with his original party entertainment program. Luke realized he had just cancelled all his future productions of this model as the number he had on hand would take eons to use up.
Luke and Cliff introduce a worm into the space net system that would replace all the power safety blocks that had been removed. This worm would then stay dormant unless someone tried to alter the program without Luke's knowledge.
The net still operated luring shoppers but that lure would be galaxy wide knowledge and those that traveled this way would be aware.
Luke and Andrea went back to Luke's shop together. What the future held for them was not known but they were continuing to get to know each other and seemed very compatible to Luke's surprise.
In a ceremony, back at headquarters, Colby presented Scott with the Distinguish Peace Star, with second cluster. Gordon Ranks received the Rookie Award for services rendered.
Frotried was the most difficult to award. In the end he and Jacque were presented with the equivalent civilian award of Boaster of Peace, which to the Warman seemed like a joke in its connotation.
Jacque was privileged to be a part of Scott's accomplishments and thought he had now partially repaid his life saving debt. Leaving an open invitation to everyone gather there, Jacque took his leave and returned to his home planet. He thought the bar business was going to be just a little boring after this adventure.
Back to work, the job still remained. Human and alien both still found ways to destroy each other and the coordinator's job would always be there.
NARD said it was a big "Whoopee!" that they received an award and again it sounded sarcastic when he said it.
Ranks got his own ship and, no longer considered a rookie, headed out with a new assignment.
Scott launched his small vessel with his new assignment. This time he traveled with the new recruit Colby had assigned him.
Fortried, sitting comfortably as co-pilot, had a hard time believing that a Warman could be the harbinger of peace, albeit as only an assistant this time.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Scott Standard - a Coordinator, main guy
Fortried - a Warman, sidekick
NARD - ship's almost human computer
Director Colby - Star Board Commander Scott's Boss
Lacgil - assassin/farmer
Jacque Cleboe - Scott's friend on Planet Carrier
Carol - EDWD Secretary (see below) for Cliff
Cliff - Boss of Engineer of Defensive Weapon Department
P1 Gordon (Don) Ranks - New recruit
Noonac - Jacque's secretary, a Credidon female
Bob - Jacque's bartender of Rustonian decent
Joe - Jacque's bartender of Rustonian decent
Keogg - A transport pilot a Senueian
Diealeauge - A Zipploydd, Ship’s Stores
Lieutenant Callgaurd - Local police on Carrier
Sink-Lue from Perubia Delto - bar patron on Gradieur
Lukecaid - Android shop owner on Gradieur
Andrea - Girl of his dreams
Jim - Technician for Sargon Electronics
President of the Board - The Evil One
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