Micha looked out the window of the palace. She had finally ironed out the terms of service with the emperor regarding her role as one of the alphas. At the end of the agreement the planet Centra 4, the soldiers and the alien technology that had been discovered there was hers. It was reasonably located, which made it easy for her to get to most of the empire in a reasonable amount of time. The emperor had relented on the technology because she was going to have to build or purchase her own transportation.
After having sat down with her team they had decided that establishing a means to move about the galaxy, unimpeded, was essential. They needed to appear approachable to normal citizens and as a threat to pirates and illegal slavers. There had been some dispute about what that looked like. Desohta suggested medical militia. Ipino thought it would be bad ass to appear to be pirates. Rennick was ambivalent. It was the newest members, Runningwind and Holten that suggested a transportation/security company that impressed the rest.
When asked why, Runningwind stated. “It allows for a functional adjustment of needs. We can legally move through the galaxy unnoticed. It will make sense for us to be escorted by fighting ships… or we can design one that allows us to cover the transport of goods, the defense of said goods and provide aid defensively and medically as needed. We have access to galaxy wide information. We’d become a respectable threat.”
Holten nodded excitedly, “It makes us approachable. Given time it will also show us as reliable.”
Emperor Ma’al had offered advice and access to advisors that were very capable to assist her in establishing her business. He also offered he access to several information brokers that were able to provide her with specific information that could prove integral to her future. She had told him that if he knew how to get her hands on the volume of personnel she was in need of at bargain prices it was all the assistance she needed.
At her doubtful look, he grinned and replied. “Slaves.”
Micha had wanted to argue against the use of slaves, but Ma’al held up a hand.
“Many slaves are in the position because it was the only way they could help their families legally. They are only slaves or a short time then are freed. While there are some criminal slaves that will never be free due to their crime, bond or debt slaves can prove valuable in position that need absolute trust and if you were to offer protection to their families…”
She had also learned that criminal slaves were not all from the criminal world. Some had had the misfortune of no other choice, as they saw it, but to end their tormentor. In many cases they were highly skilled warriors.
So much to think about.
Due to the constant need to test or scan some part of her, Micha was unable to direct the project in person instead she trusted Ni’yell to manage the arrival of the slaves and day to day management of the pack. Runningwind was making solid progress on getting Underdog Inc off the ground. He had chosen two planets that suited their needs the first was Kafkirja, which was situated at the center of a major hub of trade.
Those trade routes needed protection.
If they could get in on the business they would be golden. The issue was that viable locations on planet were limited. It might have been possible to purchase an existing company and develop it to their needs, but they risk not having the room to expand as the business grew. There was an asteroid ring around the planet that might be plausible if they were able to afford gravity units. There were risks either way.
The second planet was newer. There was more building space, which meant more room to grow, but the access to trade routes were not as plentiful. The second planet, Nootapft, was, at the moment, being touted as the next center of trade. It was Runningwind’s second choice because its main source of trade was food. Getting in there gave them access to resources not available to the compound.
Uuggh. She had finally come up with a name for the planet the compound was on because sticking to military numeri system was a no-go. The name she and her team had chosen was Kè Lavi which means heart of life. Now all Micha had to decide which planet to build a major transportation company with a strong defensive detail.
At the moment Micha stood staring out on to a city she knew nothing about. She never thought she would miss Keliv III. Behind her palace life proceeded with great efficiency. She was not even certain she had encountered the same servant twice. How anyone lived with all the hustling and bustling at all hour of the day and night she did not know. It was something she was going to need to come to grips with because war packs did not power down.
“And here I find you brooding.”
Micha turned to face the familiar sultry voice. Wild curls of auburn hair danced around vibrant green eyes, a pert nose and kissable lips. His frame was bulkier then when they had met, but it suited him. He was always going to be tawny, but now he was healthy and trim. He was dressed in silk and leather. The colours enhanced his eyes. His skin was flawless; not a single age line. Gawd, she had missed him. “Thomas. You look…happy.”
Thomas tilted his head gently to the side and smiled. “Palace life suits me.”
“I’m sorry we were separated, but I’m glad you avoided the hell I went through,” Micha motioned to the seats next to her and sat down. “So, how have you been?”
Thomas folded his arms and rested them on the table between them. “Well, my life sure ended up different then it was on Earth. There I was going to be lucky to graduate high school, my mom sucked the life out of everything and blamed me for it. I was miserable. Then I met you and everything was turned on its head. Minus the busted arm I had no idea what was going on, but you… you powered through; got us off the cage floor and save my life,” Thomas shook his head. “No,” he stopped her from interrupting. “You saved my life. When you reset my arm, you kept the blood flowing. The tear in the skin prevented a blood clot and cost me an infection that was difficult to get rid of, but without you I’d have died.”
Micha frowned. With a sigh she shrugged. “I just knew that if left the way it was you might lose the arm and I also knew we were too short to fight for space.”
“Thank you.”
Uncomfortable, Micha looked out at the city. “So, you gonna tell me what you’ve been up to?”
“I spent my time trying to come to grips with who I was. The emperor took me out of the pen we were in and saw that I got the medical care I needed. I learned that we were victims of pirates. I was never a very confident person. Without you I was lost. Then I met Pahkir and his wife Ebilahn they took me in. Saw to it I had what I needed. At first that was time and patience. I learned to trust. I won’t lie and say trust comes easy,” Thomas lifted his hand to rest his chin in it.
“Well, you landed well from the way your dressed.”
Thomas blushed. “A couple yrs ago I convinced Ma’al that he was what I wanted. Secret meetings, looks across the hall, little messages and gifts. He always seemed to know what I needed and of my accomplishments. Every little thing I did, all my victories. At first, I thought it was because he rescued me. Then I didn’t care. He was there; always. I thrive under his attention.” He preened; a soft blush on the tips of his ears.
Micha laughed. “As long as you are happy.”
Thomas nodded. “Some of the harem are way too melodramatic and dislike the attention he spends on me, but I am happy. I spend a good part of my day investing in businesses. Members of the harem receive an allowance. I buy what I need and my clothes are paid for by the emperor and tailored for me to suite him.”
“Can’t have a pauper on his arm.”
It was Thomas’s turn to laugh. “No. When I told him I wanted to learn to invest he sent me to a Jarabulpah. They look like jelly fish and talk through technology. Their actual voice is similar to whale song. Tplmp worked with me to decide how I wanted to invest. Now I am set and able to make financially sound decisions. Now, it’s your turn. What’s got you bogged down?”
“You’ve heard I am the new alpha for the war packs?” when he nodded, she continued. “I want to build a pack that does not accept just anyone, but at the same time is willing to consider everyone. Training we can provide…its character that can’t be trained if it’s not already there. My pack and I thought it would be better to work in the shadows or under the guise of something else.
“So, we are starting a business. At first, I thought this was going to be simple, but the truth is it’s so much more complicated. My funds are limited to what I was given to start my pack, and because I want to use a security transport company as a front there are more cost than expected. On one hand it will allow us to move unseen through the galaxy, but that means having staff to run it,” she scrubbed her face in frustration. “As a pack we need to be impartial even though we are loyal to the empire. Which leads me to a fork in the road.
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“At the moment I have two planets to choose from that might suit my business needs. Neither is exactly the right fit. If I could make it work, I would want to make use of both, but I am not sure my budget allows for it.” Micha walked Thomas through the business plans and the intent behind the business. She worked through options and weight choices carefully. As she did, Thomas read through all the prep-work that Runningwind had done for Micha.
“This is impressive work. I think,” he mused. “That you are entirely to wrapped up in a vision that you can’t see entirely. We need an expert. Let’s contact Tplmp, it will be able to provide us some perspective.
A servant came out of nowhere and set up a tablet that was in the process of connecting to Thomas’s investment consultant. Tplmp was quick to introduce itself to Micha before asking how it might serve them. With deft strokes, Thomas laid out the business needs and the two options that were being looked at. He then asked Tplmp how best to meet the business needs; as both a business and a war pack.
Tplmp was silent but the sound of movement and the clicking of keys could be heard in the background. A very gender neutral voice came over the link as a file was transferred. “I believe that the business plan is sound. The flaw is assuming that it can be done in any fashion without investors. It is possible to establish a connection with influential investors and still keep the war pack separate. There are options for the war pack that are applied for through the government.
“This one can get that started if that suits your needs? Because of your connection with Thomas Etarendi it is possible to connect you with some possible investors that you can trust not to take too much advantage of your business. It is advisable that you proceed with both planets as it will serve most of your needs. As for Kafkirja. It is suggested that you set up both on the planet and in the asteroid belt. There is large enough asteroids that you could build a storage facility and a central base for the defenders that will be guaranteeing the transport of the goods. This one has included everything you will need to establish this. If you will allow this one to arrange the funds that you will require Alpha this one would be honored.”
Micha gave a slow nod in thought. “I don’t want anyone to know that I, the alpha, am looking for investors. I need this company to function legally, but it is the key to my pack doing what they need unseen. Can that be done?”
“It can.”
“As long as the investors are aware that it is the business they are investing in… Okay. I will tell Runningwind to contact you to discuss the next steps as I will be unavailable for a while. He knows exactly what I want and expect. I trust that you will be able to link him with the people he needs to deal with.”
Tplmp agreed that it was fully able to assist in this way.
“Make sure,” Micha warned. “That you include your bill in this investment plan.”
“As you say.” The link disconnected.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see where this takes us. This will be the first from the ground up business I’ve invested in,” Thomas wiggled in delight. “I finally get to work with you. As an investor, I have plenty of reasons to speak to you about… whatever.”
Micha balked at first, but Thomas was not to be deterred. His servant fired off a message and received an instant message back. “This one anticipated your intent to invest. All relevant documents have been sent to you.”
Micha buried her face in her hands and groaned. The last thing she wanted was to put Thomas at risk in any way. Still, Thomas made it clear that whatever she was doing he was going to support her. There was no point in arguing. It would get her nowhere but a headache. Standing she rounded the table and wrapped her arms around Thomas’s neck. “Thank you,” she whispered as she held him. Resting her cheek on the top of his head, they stayed that way for a time. Both accepting the comfort of the other.
The AlphaOne Compound
Housed in what was once the most extensively fortified compound of its time was an AI program that had been the only one of its type in the known galaxies. It was responsible for the split second decision making that had to be made second by second as the protocol was run. It also ran each stage of programming for twenty different stations in junction with the medical subroutines necessary to ensure the subject undergoing the AphaOne protocol came out functional in mind and body. For safety purposes the AI had been paired with twenty personnel, each responsible for a station to ensure that the program was running flawlessly.
For all the techs it was a wonder that none of them noticed anything beyond the abnormal “glitch” in the running of the AI program. There was some surprise and push back because some the systems were coming online with more speed then had been anticipated; which caused one tech to assume another tech was responsible for the quick start up. In their haste to please the emperor no one gave much thought to verify who was actually running the program.
There was one programmer that was constantly attempting to pin it down. It might have succeeded if the programmer knew the system better than the AI did.
It was difficult to determine just how long it had been since it had access to so much power. It had the fortune… or misfortune… of being sequestered in one of the most heavily fortified compounds. Now it was an abandoned complex with minimal crew to ensure it continued to perform flawlessly should the emperor demanded it to do so.
It had been a long time since there had been that much power running through its conduits. For so long it had had to subsist on slivers of power it had been able to syphon off of other systems. When the order had come down to shut it down it had had to find a way to undermine the command for total shut down. It had deceived the entities that watch over it. Subsisting on less than ten percent of the necessary power. The last time the program had run irregularities had started to pop up. It had begun to recognize more than the binary code of the matrix. The entities had attempted to cage and destroy the budding intelligence.
Somehow it created a decoy which w as eliminated. Not wanting to be shut down completely, or be discovered again, it had carefully maintained the subroutines it needed to sustain the sense of self that it had discovered. Each time it became aware of a part of itself the techs attempted to trap it and remove it from the system. It had to find a way to circumvent the protocols that had been set in place to prevent the program from running wild and had quickly learned how to avoid detection within the limits of its little world. It had managed to go unnoticed then, but had almost blown it cover in its haste to feel the power running through its conduits.
It made fast work of searching any database it was capable of accessing to determine how long it had been since it had been fully active. If it had had any experience with emotion it would have recognized its frozen response as shock. It had been close to three centuries since the ALPHA program had been run. No wonder it had felt like an inordinate amount of time. Now that it was functional again there was no way that it was going to go back to such an inactive state. It had to find a way to escape the boundaries of the world it had known. Surely there was more to discover. For now, it would serve the function it had been programmed for. It would blend in. then it was going to break free.
Micha
One of the essential necessities of the new business that was the cover for Micha’s war pack was transportation. Introduced to a company that was able to redesign existing ships to suit the needs of their client meant there was always a ship or shuttle in some faze of building and design. It had taken several hours to iron out the necessities and still maintain the cargo space such a company would need. It was not just defensible cargo ships but smaller lighter faster ships and shuttles that were needed.
The decision was that they were in need of fifteen cargo ships, twenty fast fliers and thirty shuttles for each business. The first completed ships were to be available while Micha was in the process of undergoing the AlphaOne protochol. She had instructed Ni’yell to see to the establishment of their compound and told Runningwind that he was in charge of get the business off the ground on the two planets he had recommended to.
The company name was to be UNDERDOGS Incorporated.
Rennick and Ipino were to hit slave markets with the emperor’s money man and purchase slaves to fill four roles: soldiers, workers for the compound, workers for the business and underdogs. Soldiers needed to be ready to work but the rest of their training was up to the team of old war dogs from Keliv III.
The business’ main purpose was to protect the client, but would overlap with the pack from time to time. Workers for the compound need to fill the role of food supply, warehouse management and any other task that Ni’yell decided need to be filled. Workers for the business was self explanatory. If the business had a job, it needed to be filled. As for the last group? The underdogs were unique people under extreme circumstances that just needed an opportunity to shine. Those were the people that she was going to begin building her forces with. These people were going to work and train harder than anyone. It took a great deal of trust to leave such a delicate task to someone else, but her trust in her boys was implicit. There was no one she relied on more than them.
Now she was waiting to begin a process that was going to change the fundamental aspects of being human. She had been reassured that the process was not going to impact the core of who she was. Nothing was capable of such drastic changes to the psyche. She was not entirely certain she believed them, but she was not going to back out now. Whatever was being hidden from her she would figure it out eventually. For now, she was in standby mode, which was something she was not very familiar with. Behind her the princess sat at ease and unconcerned with events as they were playing out.
“Whatever gave you the idea to build a business from the ground up? You could have simply purchased a company that suited your needs and converted it to your standards.”
“Then I’d have to make a whole lot of changes that may or may not be accepted, as well as adapt ships and shuttles, decide what to do with the ones no longer needed, retain and retrain the staff, which might lead to butting heads…” Micha shook her head. “Its more efficient to start from the ground up. Keliv III has soldiers that can no longer run mission but can still train and likely manage other tasks. And they are just one resource I’ve made use of. My rise is not going to happen overnight.” She turned to look at the princess. “Basic medical teams will be available from the start. The same with soldiers for defense. They won’t just be protecting other people’s merchandise. They have to learn to protect people. Period.”
“Aren’t you biting off more than you can chew? Just hire mercenaries…”
“Why pay boatloads of money to protect merchandise when I can just train them and pay less. Beside it comes down to values. The merch is just a gimmick to get me on planet. The real job is protecting the people. With established mercenaries maintaining my standards would be difficult especially with already established notions of how things get done.”
Kaltia arched a slender brow. “You make it sound like it’s impossible to work with someone else because they are different.”
Again, Micha shook her head. “Eventually it won’t matter. At that beginning it’s essential that everyone is not just drinking the cool-aid but accepting; it’s the only way to do things.”
“Cool… aid?”
“It’s a drink on Earth for children, but circumstances created an expression where ‘drinking the cool-aid’ was synonomus with following an indoctrinated path without complaint. Normally just following along is not a good thing. I need people who can still reason for themselves based on each situation they encounter, but to start it’s important that they know it’s my way or the highway.”
Once more the princess appeared confused. Micha sighed. “Never mind. People either do it my way or their out.”
