They entered the Jxansa Gha workout room and Paul led them to a shelf next to the swords, daggers and axes. He clipped a force-field to each of their belts and handed Hunter a four foot two handed sword. He stood back and told him, “Take your best shot. I promise I will not move. I want to show you something.” Hunter looked hesitant, but did follow his instruction, using his full strength to swing the heavy sword at Paul’s midsection. To him, the impact felt like he had just hit a tree with a dull axe. Paul stood perfectly still and smiled. He reached over and took a long steel bar used as a staff and swung it at Hunter. He closed his eyes waiting for the pain; it never came. He did feel that he had been hit, simply because of the shields reaction to the impact. He looked up in amazement. Paul told him, “That’s how we can train at full speed. When you’re worried about being hurt or hurting someone else, there is a tendency to hold back.” He pointed toward the weapons rack and said, “Now, pick out a weapon and see what you two can do when you’re not worried about hurting each other. Hold nothing back. It’s a great stress reliever.” He helped them pick out properly sized weapons for their body size and fighting style and spent the next two hours teaching them sword play. It was interesting to see Amber take out her frustrations on her big brother. Hunter could see what she was doing and managed to work out some of his own. By the time they finished, they had both earned a whole new respect for each other. They had even incorporated full-force head punches and kicks along with their sword play. In the end Paul would have to say Hunter was the victor, but only because he was bigger and stronger, not because he possessed any more skill. Amber really did have the heart of a fighter. They both had the qualities that made good leaders. He hoped to give them every opportunity to realize that potential.
With 26 people for dinner, they had to relocate to the big dining room. It had a capacity for over 100, but the other dining room was stretched with 20. Paul realized that before long he’d be filling this place up. With a meal this big he decided to use a little drone assistance. Mostly for chopping, cutting and stirring things so they wouldn’t stick. He kept it pretty simple. He had never treated any of his friends to his homemade spaghetti, so he felt like this would be a good opportunity to make it again. It was a meal designed for large groups. The last time he made it was at his church in Mississippi, for a Men’s Spaghetti Supper. He had been officially declared church spaghetti maker before he left for Xhondar I. He let the drones cut up lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery for a salad. They had even been tasked with boiling the water for the noodles. He let 99 toast the garlic bread. Since Amber’s tips for perfect toast, he had been doing much better. He also insisted on 99s sweet tea. He didn’t know how he was going to break it to his Mom that an alien goat/monkey made the best sweet tea he had ever tasted. He had told 99 this earlier and it had become his crowning glory. He really got daring on desert. He downloaded a recipe for Lemon Icebox Pie, loaded the entire recipe into the kitchen computer and made certain the ingredients were in the storage bins; six drone-made pies looked great sitting in the side-by-side coolers.
Paul was glad to see that some of the people at supper had found other clothes to wear. Kary borrowed clothes from Michael. Joe borrowed clothes from Marcus. Clark’s western style of clothing was ageless. They were now a bit large on him, but still wearable. The ladies had borrowed clothes from Rachel and Danyel. The big surprise was Mom in an Xhondarian outfit borrowed from Xhing Li. It looked great on her. Mike and Les said they liked the jump suites just fine. Some people were just easier to please than others. For some reason the dinner topic of conversation kept concentrating on Paul. His friends and grandchildren were getting way to much embarrassing information about Paul’s youth. He knew he would never hear the end of it. Even 99 seemed to be soaking it up; intent on every detail. The kids could talk about nothing else but Speeders, simulators and sword fighting. Katelyn, Chase and Tala were thrilled with their Daddy’s position as manager of a Spaceship factory. Daniel kept spending his every spare moment away from his cousins with Zeus. He was thrilled to be a part of a group of children, as an only child, it was a refreshing experience. Hunter and Amber were enjoying being the leaders of this little gang. Paul could tell the others looked up to them and were treated well, even though they were younger.
Tala kept talking about a Tala sized spaceship that was perfect for her, she had found in the spaceship factory. She asked her uncle Paul if she could have the little spaceship and like a typical man who only paid attention to about half of what a child says, he answered “yes.” Paul was so wrapped-up in the conversations with the adults he didn’t even notice the grin of satisfaction on her face. Everyone was excited about eight more people being out of the rejuvenation tanks by tomorrow afternoon. Hunter and Amber really had spent some time praying together about being able to stay. As they were saying their goodnights, it was decided, unanimously by the women, that Verron needed a shopping center. Paul had Lucy project the hologram of the future capital city on the empty end of the dining table, making a point of pointing out the future shopping mall and making certain that everyone knew that Michael was going to have the most important job in town; managing the finances of an entire country. Michael, who had spoken very little, smiled when Paul identified the 60 story bank of Verron as Michael’s building, then added, “You can name the building anything you think sounds good, it’s your bank.” He could tell Michael was proud to be recognized in front of his wife, father and family. Then, Paul in his usual humorous manner, added, “Michael will also be given a royal title of Count. He will be known as ‘Count de Money.’” Michael thought it was hilarious, the kids didn’t get it and more than one thought it was cruel and over used by Mel Brooks. But when Michael said he thought he’d have calling cards printed-up with his new title on it, Paul knew he had the right man for the job. That night Paul had real peace about the future of Verron. He didn’t want to ruin it by watching the news. After his evening prayers, he slept like a rock.
The next morning he got up and did his usual run and returned to find the children already gone and the women sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and conspiring against him. Aunt Sherry, never one to keep an opinion to herself, declared, “We need to go shopping. We want Les and Mike to go with us. They may like those stupid looking jumpsuits but there’s no way we’re going to let them look like that. Yadvega and Xhing Li were with them and surprisingly in on the conspiracy. Paul laughed at how, when it came to shopping, women from every galaxy were still women. They came to an agreement to go shopping someplace where none of them would be known and the shopping would be great. They were surprised when Paul took out his credit card, handed it to Xhing Li and said, “Mall of America should be far enough away, and I doubt even you bunch of ladies will be unable to find what you want there.” Looking at Xhing Li, he added, “Take good care of them, and be back before this evening when the others come out.” They found Mike and Les looking at the vehicles in the Vehicle Storage Facility, made Mike put on his old man clothes and Les put on some of Paul’s, that were definitely too short in the legs for his tall frame. They met in the foyer by the elevators and Xhing Li escorted them to Minnesota.
Paul knew the gang members were out at the simulators and working hard with Marcus to get the Speeders going. Marcus informed Paul, “With Lucy teaching me and the kids, they are becoming incredibly knowledgeable about the workings of a spaceship. Even Tala has been crawling up into places too small for the others, connecting wires and adjusting screws, nuts and bolts, too difficult for the others to reach.” Paul decided this would be a good time to indoctrinate Michael. He stopped by his apartment and found him already dressed and ready to go, “Lucy told me you were on your way” He said, when he came to the door. Paul told him, “I need to show you something.” Michael stated, “Uncle Paul, this is a nice place and all but if you’re going to build a country, you’re going to need a lot more than some rejuvenation machines and some really cool spaceships. It’s going to require s
ome major capitol.” Paul proceeded to tell Michael, as they walked, that he would take him on a trip to the various revenue generating locations in a day or two, then, told him about the steel mills, wheat and cotton fields, unlimited sources of energy and about more oil than all the oil fields on Earth put together. He informed him that the yield capability for these were greater than yields on Earth. He informed Michael about the planets of Xhondar and 70 billion customers for Verron food products, about potential customers from several other known worlds for petroleum products and other technologies.
He had just finished his summary of Verron when they got to the elevators with the high-tech security codes. Michael watched in amazement as Paul went through optical scans, hand print scans, voice recognition and a pin prick DNA. As they boarded the elevator and started down, Michael asked, “What’s down here?” Paul smiled and answered, “Your first assignment as Director of Finance for the Nation of Verron; Count.” They reached the vault doors and went through the security checks again. Paul then told Michael, “I will have Lucy clear you to access the elevator and this vault. You will probably need to clear at least a few people to help you down here, but no one, and mean absolutely no one, comes down here without you or me. And those that come here must be trust worthy enough to keep their mouths shut, even to their spouses, and I hate to say, that includes you.” The heavy vault door clicked open and the automated light system came on as they entered. Paul stood to the side so he could get a good look at Michael’s reaction. He stood there speechless for a moment and then turned his head to look at Paul. His only words were, “Uncle Paul; how rich are you?” He placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder and answered, “That’s your job ‘Count de Money.’ I sure don’t have the patience to count it all. That’s why I plan to pay you the big bucks. You need to count it and figure out an exchange rate between us and Earth, Xhondar and in the future several other worlds. I’ve been using the Xhondar cronz as a monetary standard, just for rough estimates. While you’re figuring out how much is down here, I’ll need you to help determine costs and pricing for steel, oil, whitematter energy, spaceships and our unique medical technology. Then we’ll need to determine pay scales and housing costs. Oh, yea, and while we’re at it, I intend to institute a building program that includes cities, factories, schools and medical facilities, while I simultaneously build the strongest military in the history of the universe. If that’s not enough challenge, you’re going to be doing the cost accounting to determine what production and manufacturing costs actually are; oh, yea, I also have a couple of businesses on Xhondar I worth a few billion you’ll have to take care of those also. If it’s about money, you’re in control. I will always be looking for new ways to make money, but I also intend to spend a lot of it.”
Paul led Michael to the hundreds of thousands of drawers. As he opened them to reveal rubies, emeralds, diamonds and some stones Michael didn’t recognize, he told Michael, “I believe our cousin Robert is a certified jeweler. Even if this is over his head, he should be able to steer us in the right direction to determine their value.” Michael looked back at the warehouse stacked to the ceiling with gold and platinum saying, “Uncle Paul, there are probably trillions of dollars in this place. Add all the rest of the stuff you’ve talked about and your worth more than most countries, easily richer than the top 100 people on Earth added together.” He looked Michael in the eye and said, “That’s what I need you to find out. When others are talking about spaceships, weapons, flying cars and medical procedures, just remember what makes it all possible is in your hands, ‘Count’.” By the way, since I have been declared King of Verron that would make you and Marcus a prince. The son of a prince is a prince. The daughter of a prince is a Princess, and the brothers of a King are considered to be a prince. The Verron family is the official royal family of this planet, but only those in my blood line. Some of the family will have a problem with that, but it’s just the way it’s going to be. You and I will have a set of royal seals made and we will need you to establish a currency for Verron. With the title of Prince Verron, it will lend more credibility to your position and power to make decisions. Your decision is my decision.”
As they began to leave the vault, Paul informed Michael, “I have approached a CPA from Chattanooga who happens to be my first wife. If she accepts my offer, she will be assisting you. Leona and her husband Donald have been invited to manage my investments and make purchases of things I will need on Earth and to manage potential investors in Verron’s industry; they also will report to you. Keep one thing in mind, everything on Verron belongs to me. You represent me. After me, you and General Zarman will be the two most powerful people on Verron. That’s how much I love and trust you. Don’t let me down. Oh, yea, back on Earth you half jokingly commented on how much I would pay you. That’s your job. You get to figure out how much everyone will be paid. Have fun. But if you want a big house, build one, if you want a palace, I’m OK with that. Just remember, I would rather spend my money on a new factory, on my military or to better the lives of the people who will be depending on me when they move here, than on palaces or expensive things. I do not want to see you on the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. He closed the vault door and said, “Lucy please take the usual security measures and authorize Michael Verron complete access to the vault and any financial records in your system.” They pushed the buttons to return upstairs and Michael asked, “Uncle Paul, exactly who or what is Lucy?”
While Paul and Michael were talking about money and he was introducing Michael to his plans for expansion, the newly rejuvenated, including Clark, were off in Minnesota shopping and Marcus, along with the Speeder Gang, as he had begun to call them, were busy getting the rest of the Speeders 100% operational. They were hard at work on the assembly line except for Tala, who had a tendency to get bored working on the line and would disappear for hours at a time exploring somewhere in the city sized complex. It was a beautiful day and they decided to work with the huge doors open to let in the fresh air and sunshine. The cousins were consistently getting level 9 scores now and they were anxious to have the last Speeder ready so they could fly together. Marcus was impressed by the fact that Amber and Hunter, who already had Speeders of their own, were here helping the others instead of out flying around.
They were about to take a break when they all looked up to see where a swooshing sound was coming from, just in time to see a small Speeder type craft, no more six feet long, flash by overhead and out the open hanger doors. They looked at each other in shock and raced for the outside as they screamed, “TALA!” The group soon stood in front of the hanger watching the little ship flying around the perimeter of the valley. Marcus had a lump in his throat thinking of his little girl getting hurt, or trying to explain it to Danyel if she did. Hunter raced inside and jumped into one of the functional Speeders and in moments was blasting out the factory door in pursuit of his little cousin. It was obvious that his Speeder was much faster than Tala’s, and he overtook her quickly. As he pulled along-side to get her attention, Tala waved at Hunter as she laughed her contagious laugh then suddenly did an incredible 180, taking off the opposite direction. Hunter followed suite and realized she was now doing the same stunts in this tiny little Speeder as she had been doing in the simulator. No one had bothered to even keep a score on this 9 year-old and just let her have her fun. Hunter shook his head as he watched her and realized she was out flying any of them.
Those on the ground felt like they were watching a Flying Stunt Show. Marcus swore he was about to have a heart attack. After about 30 minutes of flying, Tala decided to go back to the others to let everyone see the Tala Sized Speeder that Uncle Paul had given her. Tala did a couple more barrel rolls as she approached the open hanger bay and made a perfect landing just feet away from her anxious audience. Marcus was the first one to the Speeder and reached to her just as the canopy opened for her to climb out. While her cousins were telling her how cool she had just flown and how much they liked her little ship
, Marcus was squeezing her too tight and asking her if she was OK. He finally sat her on the ground and began a parental interrogation about where she had gotten the little ship, and just what she thought she was doing thinking she could fly it around. Tala looked at her Dad with a matter-of-fact look and said, “Uncle Paul said I could have it. I told him last night about a Tala Sized Speeder and asked him I could have it. He said yes.” Amber was sitting beside Tala at dinner and suddenly realized what that conversation had been about. She immediately came to Tala’s defense and told Marcus that it was true; she had heard him say it. By this time Hunter was back on the ground and ran to her side picking her up and telling her, “That’s the most incredible flying I’ve ever seen. None of us could do that. I like your little Speeder, mine is faster but boy can that thing handle.” Marcus thought, “Oh great, all she needs is to be encouraged.”
Tala at once began showing Hunter her little ship. She told them that she had found it in the Model Shop. It was a prototype for a fighter with a new reactor design. It was only ¼ sized. She opened a hatch at the rear of the little ship and revealed a reactor no bigger than a basketball. She had really been studying her little ship, and told them, “I figure when they make it bigger this thing will be smaller than a Class X Fighter, but still outperform it.” Hunter thought a minute about all the time Tala had been playing in the simulator and how they had pretty much ignored what she was doing. He asked, “Lucy can you hear me out here?” A voice from his Speeder’s cockpit behind him answered, “Yes, may I help you?” They walked over to the voice coming from the cockpit, and Hunter asked, “Lucy, none of us ever bothered to look and see what Tala’s scores were on the simulator. We watched all the crazy stuff she was doing and assumed she was just playing, did you by chance keep a record of her performance?” Lucy’s voice came back with a reply, “I wondered why no one asked. To answer your question, I did keep records of every one of your flights. That’s how I was able to point out your mistakes in order to help you improve. Would you like to know Tala’s scores?” Marcus blurted out, “Yes, now please!” They were all blown away by Lucy’s answer, “Her first day she was performing at a level 9, her second day she hit a level 11 and she has been consistently achieving level 12, with two 13s and one perfect 14. Fourteen is as high as it goes.” Hunter dropped to his knees in front of Tala and asked, “Do you realize what you’ve done?” Tala began to cry small tears and asked, “Am I in trouble?” Her Daddy picked her up and answered, “Not unless your mother finds out. We’ll have to figure out some way to break this to her.” Amber, out of curiosity asked, “Lucy has anyone else scored a perfect 14.” Lucy’s reply surprised no one, “King Verron, Dalhia, General Gljarne and Illinasos Xhondar.” Tala looked at her father and asked, “Do I get to keep it?”
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