Chapter Three
Cherissa knew they were last and what the job of fourteenth was. Edwardiana was a rich society girl with a flair for public relations. She'd been making her family's company very popular with people since she was six. As soon as the shuttle left, she said, "Call me Eddy and tell me why you need a Lady Relatross-Thiretess in the imperial palace." Boer took her to see his bride and she nodded.
"You need them ready to accept both him as your bride and that you may have to go in with marines to end this kind of abuse."
"That's why there's a First Lady Relatross and a Lady Relatross-Thiretess. You'll like Tam and you'll be a great deal more help to him than I'd expected."
"You expected them to pick someone who could handle the syrup and pour it out just as fast. They did. My uncle picked me for what they didn't know you needed, which is, of course, why he's rich and they're comfortable. He called me as soon as he heard 'First Lady Relatross.' I need to be pregnant when I get there. You need the feeling of family that will instill. I'm extremely pleased it's a good excuse for insisting I get to play in your bed several nights in a row too."
"I'm amazed and wondering if Destiny is laughing because I don't really believe in it. I was rather sure you'd all be intelligent and charming, but I didn't expect you'd all be... what, as well as who, I needed to build my family. I didn't expect to feel like it was a family this soon. I'm glad you're in it, Eddy, and I'm already sure I'm going to miss having you around."
"Gives you an excuse to visit the palace often, all of you. I like them all and he's... already a piece we're missing to be complete. A damaged boy. Idiots."
"They expected me to refuse and refute the treaty. He was blind, deaf and fighting the cuffs, hobbles and people dragging him around. I pitied them, not him. He didn't need any. It was as close to mercy as I could come for them. It did keep me from strangling the chief delegate when he said they'd brought my 'concubine,' as the treaty required."
"I think pity is as close as I'll get as well. Your bedroom, then I need to talk to the others. We have a lot of work to do."
"I like the schedule. Venida, Li said you'd know if her idea would help and how much by today."
"Tell her to apply for a patent. It's needed too much to keep secret. Twenty-two days, not fifty-six."
"Yes! Li! Dirda! Girls!"
"Oh, my."
"He's been down here every day, Eddy. He talks to him about building the family and how much he's looking forward to introducing you all. Come here. I'm going to show you what he looked like and their meeting, then a bit of the two days they shared. After that, I'm going to show you what he's going to begin to look like very quickly."
"Obviously Nunceon?"
"Obviously Modicio Nunceon."
"One of the High Clans?"
"Descended from. The great compromise of the Treaty of Relatross was the structure of the governor's family in exchange for the disbanding of the clans."
"I remember. Empress Hoshia the Third refused to imprison the chieftains and seize the clan holds and won the support of the other planetary delegations with the proposal for 'advocates within the governor's family.' The clans accepted it when it was made marriage."
"Lou said they were tired of fighting the much more numerous Turon for the continent the colonial charter had said was theirs, but the only peace settlement the Turon government wanted was every square meter of ground and them all dead. The treaty protected them for nearly two hundred years. Racism was ending, but those who wanted to control the power inherent in a bureaucracy saw how convenient a tool it would make. Via said NuncTura is the 'perfect example' of the takeover and destruction of a democracy by an oligarchy."
"You're very much part of the family, aren't you?"
"Every person on this ship is. Anverd commed and told me he finally had a good enough reason for asking me to leave Grainland University Hospital and he'd wanted to ask me to marry him for nine years. I said I'd wanted to ask him for ten, but didn't have a good enough reason to ask him to leave marine headquarters on Boniface. He laughed and said the marines had a real epidemic of resignations and were handing out forms to those they were sure should catch it. I didn't know he was at the hospital, until he walked into my office with a magistrate and witnesses. One of them was Boer. That's when I learned why there was an epidemic."
"Had you met him before?"
"Our mothers are friends. I've known him since he was just a very big baby. He introduced me to Anverd."
"Is he really going to use this ship as... home?"
"The only answer I can give is this section is assembled, not built into it. He isn't wealthy, Eddy. This is the ship he was given."
"I am. I wonder if he'd like an estate, a big new ship, maybe a fleet."
"Does he know?"
"No one knows I'm Wardian Investment but me and Kass Loudahl, and now you."
"Mim will giggle for days."
"I hope she can help me figure out how to get all those credits I have, which we really need, where he needs them, without him discovering who put them there."
"You don't want him to know?"
"No. Some people in his sector are sure a governor was needed, he's the right one and the sector, not the imperium, is going to see to it he has the best physical tools for the job as well as the right personnel. Even Anverd would only be able to find out Kass must know who actually owns Wardian Investment."
"Why did you tell me?"
"Because I'm sure you don't keep secrets from your husband. Boer needs his assurance there are no strings attached and he'd get very frustrated trying make absolutely sure of it. I'm selling Wardian to its employees. The chunk they can buy is equal to the percentage of the payroll of their salaries and costs them five percent of their annual wage. They can only borrow from another employee or family member and they have twenty days. No one who is not an employee will be sold any piece of the company for five years."
"That's ten days' pay?"
"Approximately. They deserve it. I chose each of them and sent a personnel recommendation. It was my judgment of people, not my investment acumen, that made me very rich before I was twelve. They already paid for it. Making them make a cash investment, but making it that small, tells them I do know what the company is worth and that they did it. It's also five percent of what they made for me last year and I thought they'd find it humorous the two figures are the same. It was coincidence. Kass loved it."
"You girls are going to drive Boer crazy and he'll love it. That young man will help."
"Not even a name."
"He'll tell us."
"No, Doctor. He'll whisper it to Boer, someday. He has a new life. He spent a long time in hell to win it. His name is Job. We'll spell it like it sounds, but some will know exactly what it means."
"I don't."
"I'll pull the reference and make sure it's easy for everyone to find. Now, I need to get pregnant and I'm really looking forward to Boer's expression when he finds out I'm a virgin. I'm sure I'm not the first he's run into, but I do expect it to be a surprise."
"Eddy, each and every one of you has been a surprise, and they've all been wonderful."
"Especially that one. Going to be nice having two men in the family. His children too. Don't let him talk you out of it. He will try. Remind him reproductive capability is specified in the treaty, after he's nearly convinced you it would make things difficult for Boer."
"Barri won't let anything damage your children and Nora knows exactly how bunches of brothers and sisters are supposed to be."
"A ship and an estate. Now where should it be?"
"Valer."
"Why?"
"It's the closest Empire sector world to the treaty sector, moderately populated semi-agrarian and I know someone who'd sell a nice farm, with a sixteen-bedroom house with a ballroom, eighteen kilometers from Brossom port, for a good price. He just got my old job and would trade that monster for te
n years' lease of my condo as down payment. He inherited it, leased out the farmland and lived in five rooms of it. It was the perfect location, eleven kilometers from the university the other direction, or he'd have sold it years ago. Yard, pools, garden and fountain maintenance are part of the land lease contracts."
"Perfect."
"So are you. Scan says this is a good time."
"Oh, thank you. I was too worried I'd lose my excuse to ask."
Eddy was asking directions when Boer strode into medical, still grinning widely. He apologized for deserting her. She told him she quite understood him running to tell the rest of their family wonderful news in person and would have followed if she could have kept him in sight, or even knew where he was going. He smiled and offered her a tour. She told him as long as it started with his bed. They got in an argument before they got there.
It started before they got to the living suite where the others were waiting to meet her. It ended when she yelled she was sure Jobe would want to help end the oppression on NuncTura and a Modicio name might say the same to them, but it wouldn't to bigots on either side.
"Modicio?"
"Want to see what Tiram Urtala looked like when he was young, Boer? Jobe won't be his double, of course, but anyone who's really looked at the record of the signing will think of it."
"It was a bomb."
"Fish oil heating stoves explode too, Boer."
"I don't understand, Lola."
"That's what's used in gov-subsidized housing in Taslom. The gov-owned fishing fleet and processing plants supply fish oil to the gov for use in stoves built by a gov-owned factory for use in gov-owned housing."
"Does Anverd know this?"
"It's just one moderate-size city and business as usual, Boer. I just happen to have read one explodes once in awhile. I was presenting it to support Eddy's point."
"Which I got. It's not the Modicio, or the Nunceons, it's the people of NuncTura who need to be freed from oppression and it's not the Turons who are doing it. Those who are doing it are Turon males, but that's just their race and sex. Neither makes one a member of the oligarchy. One gets to be one if he finds a way to wield the power of a bureau to increase its power."
"It's a semi-open elitism. Sometimes the most ruthless isn't someone's grandson or nephew. His name is Jobe. He got it because it's appropriate and I refuse to talk about 'him' or 'Boer's bride' when making plans for the future of our family for twenty-two days. He's your bride, Boer, but he's our sweet love too."
"Lady Relatross-Thiretess, we have work to do and I'm going to enjoy doing it with you."
"I'm looking forward to it too, First Lady Relatross, but pregnant is first. Nora, the palace isn't the place for any of our children full time after a certain point. That being, basically, infants. I'm sure you agree a ship isn't either. Venida says she thinks she can get us a huge home, an estate with a large farm attached, a bit outside Brossom on Valer for ten-years lease on her condo. The farmland is currently leased for some plus yard care, including pools and fountains. See how much more she knows about it. Mim, help her figure out if it would make more sense for us to farm it or collect the lease payments. It must be a solid three-way contract, but she'll probably give us more than ten years to pay off the down payment."
"I've got data on the district, Nora."
"Thanks, Dona. Thank you, Eddy. I really don't think a ship is the right place for a bunch of kids either and I'm already pregnant."
"You are?!"
"It only takes once, Boer. It just doesn't happen the first time every time. I wasn't around anyone but family often enough to bother with contracep. I knew when I should have started and I didn't. Ran a scan on myself to make sure just before Eddy got here."
"Venida!"
"Medical! What happened?!"
"Nora is pregnant, Ven. She ran a scan on herself."
"Oh. I'll pull the scan, Nora, but I want to do a full medical down here in the next couple days. Nice to know the emergency connect and sounder work."
"Oops?"
"Congratulations, Boer."
"Thank you, I think. Out."
"Thank you, Nora. He's much easier to steer now. I'll really meet and get to know you all later. I'm sure stunned and steerable is too good an opportunity to pass up. It should keep us out of an argument at least long enough to get to his bed."
Mim started giggling and Anverd winked at her. He knew just how she felt, then the next tally came up and he started to giggle too. He ran the check again and came up with exactly what Eddy had told Ven he would. An elderly woman attorney had to know who had started and owned Wardian Investment, but it wasn't her and she wasn't telling. Boer looked over at them.
"Uh, Governor, someone in the sector is sure they need a governor. You've got... amazing financial backing and it's so free of strings I can't find anything that tells me who to tell thank you. About fifteen years' profit from a very profitable business is being dumped into an account in Empire Interstel Bank in your name as fast as it can be transferred. So is the incredibly low sale price of it to its employees. They don't know who they're buying it from."
"Thank you, Eddy."
"What?"
"The question is who and you're the only answer. You don't have to admit it. I'm sure you think it's important all I know for sure is someone decided the sector needed a governor, the emperor knew it and started making sure that governor had the finances to do something about the situation on NuncTura. You know me too well, my lovely Lady Relatross-Thiretess. You may not have been sure I would be the governor when you started preparing for one, while still a child, but you've been sure for quite some time. Anverd knows who or he'd have yelled don't touch it until he learned if it was going to blow up in our faces. You knew that too. Anverd, your careful wording was noted."
"I'd never lie to you, General."
"Boer, it came without strings attached from the sector. I'd be delighted to say you think someone began Wardian Investment specifically to assure 'A' governor had the resources needed for the job. I'll also tell them that makes you more comfortable than thinking someone decided to give it to you personally, to do what you thought was right, after you were appointed."
"Uh... "
"The only thing anyone can find out is there is a very elderly, extremely respected attorney who must know who. I shall note most 'heirs' I know already have more than they need and too many watch to see great-grand-whatever-over-a-hundred-thirty doesn't risk 'their' credits on a senile scheme. They'll all know several who fit the description."
"I came up with two names. All right, contributor unknown. Thank you anyway. Mim, can we do a remodel on this ship?"
"Yes, and have a bigger one built, and have a fleet built, and pay a navy wages... "
"Huh?"
"Wardian Investment is a phenomenon, Boer. It's been called 'the greatest collection of financial investment genius ever to exist in the universe.' Even they don't know who collected them, but they were all unknowns when offered jobs that paid very well. The investment firms various of them left, all over the empire, didn't."
"Thank you, Lola. Uh, Mim, do I owe taxes on it?"
"Not much and being paid as it's transferred. You'll owe taxes on the interest next year."
"I can pay all the marines full wages?"
"Attempt it and you may have a rebellion."
"Anverd, if I can, I should."
"And take away their statement of commitment to the principles of the empire and firm belief you hold them as ideals? You'll have one hundred eighty-two stating they're volunteers and will supply their own rations if you do."
"I notice you counted you and your wife."
"She'd be upset if I left her out."