Chapter 3: Corporate Offices, Earth Biologicals (Ebio)
“Did you see this,” The security chief came into the CEO’s office. He put a piece of hard copy on the woman’s desk showing the breaking news from Trena.
“What of it,” The woman said seeing the company’s main nemesis in the last decade or so. Over the last few months as she found out more and more what the man before her, was capable of doing so it was not an absurd question when she asked, “Did you do it?”
“What?” the man said, “Nooo! We have too much money sitting in banks on Trena to want me to destroy it. No this. We finally found where he’s been. I have a containment team mounting up now. They’ll have him and the halfwit within a month.”
“No!” she said.
“What do you mean no!” The man said, “This man and his so called wife can bring down the company!”
“Yes,” She returned, “But he hasn’t.”
”But that clone is evidence that we have violated imperial law!” The man said, “It must be destroyed.”
“No,” The woman said, “Look the site where she was supposedly created,” She stressed the word created, “has been destroyed. I’ve been over this with you before. There is no way to prove that she is anything other than an experimental project. We have records indicating that she was the first successful bioengineered human that wasn’t sterile. The place where she was created had a tragic accident that destroyed the lab and the notes. The Empire has nothing. If you close her file it could back lash!”
“He has our property.” the man said, “We still own that clone.”
“No,” the woman said, “He emancipated her shortly after she disappeared the first time. Besides he and his daughter are one of our major shareholders. He set up a trust and guardianship that includes Admiral Wilson and General Alphine who votes his and his daughter’s stock. What do you think would happen if we killed them?”
“It is only a matter of time before he’ll put two and two together.” The man said, “Hell there is a breeding world not too far from Trena. Hell I am surprised that the one or two escapees haven’t given birth on Trena.”
“Look Jeffery!” The CEO was losing her patience, “Trena is hands off. There’s going to be a lot of press on that world. We can’t afford to take action there. It will be worse than letting that man live.”
The new CEO’s appointment been orchestrated by General Alphine, representing Jill Wilson. When the previous CEO had retired the general had investigated all the members of the broad and found the one person who had little if anything to do with the closers, or other skullduggery the board had been doing for centuries. Voting Jill’s proxy as Ebio’s major shareholder she made sure she got the CEO that was good for the empire and for the company. The future empress of the Terran Empire had let the new CEO know what she expected. She wasn’t the princess’ girl but she knew why she had been hired by the board to stop the things that this man had been doing for years. The board had been reading the tea leaves, and they had rightly guessed that the citizens of the Terran Empire, and the imperial government were getting tired of some the outrageous things the company had been doing. Some of their bioengineering products had stopped selling. The company was in its elder years and its product was losing its market. She had been brought in to make the company’s retirement not so devastating to its shareholders. If she let this man do the disastrous thing he was bound and determined to do, it could disband the company in a way that no one would benefit from.
“Jeffery,” The CEO said, “If anything happens to that family or the clones on that world and I find you had anything to do with it I will take the appropriate action.”
“Yes Ma’am,” The man said knowing that this woman was going to destroy the company. It was a good thing he had already dispatched the containment team. They would clean up that little mess nicely and if done right would send a message to the other escaped clones that the company was not to be messed with. It would also tell the shareholders that they would toe the company line. When the man left the CEO called the Princess.
“Carroll,” the CEO said when Princess Carroll answered, “Hozenbur’s on the way to Trena. I can’t stop it. Can you get word to him?”
“I’ll try.” The General said, “But no one’s been able to stop that witch. Not even my SpecWars.”
“I know.” The woman said.
“Hey I may be harder to get a hold of in the next few months. Dad’s sending me to Trena as his rep. I’ll take a couple of teams with me. Do you want her body back?”
“No,” the woman said, “just make sure she gets her just reward.”
“Aye,” the princess replied and signed off.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 14
