Inadvertent Adventures (33 page)

In the end the Mayor of Dresden, Dresden City Police Commissioner, six Dresden Police captains, and several public affairs officers met with Ann and Sterling in a private conference room. Katrina and her mother met with other high-ranking police officials to formalize their complaints against Brandon.

They were still there when Countess Alexandra arrived several hours later looking for them. "Ann, Sterling, are you all right?" she asked. "Where's Betta and Kat?"

"They are still filing their complaints against your brother, Countess Alexandra," Ann replied. "Our complaint is already on file."

Countess Alexandra looked chagrined and bowed her head deeply. She murmured, "Brandon has gone too far this time," without looking up from the floor. Then she looked Ann in the eye and continued in a stronger voice. "Nothing can save him now. And DA-CC will not try."

I
T WAS EARLY THE NEXT DAY
when Kaiser Wilhelm IX of New Frankfurt arrived in Dresden. He traveled with the full fanfare of the planetary ruler, and his motorcade took twenty minutes to arrive and sort themselves out in the parking lot of Von Rubenstein House. The Kaiser walked up the steps to the entry and was met at the door by Countess Alexandra and Lady Bettina.

Both women curtsied deeply, and then Lady Bettina spoke. "Kaiser Wilhelm, we welcome you to our home."

The Kaiser clicked his heels and nodded his head slightly, but his attention was on his cousin's widow. "Alex, I haven't seen you since Manfred's funeral. How are you?"

Countess Alexandra curtsied again. "As well as a woman my age can ever be, Herr Kaiser."

The Kaiser chuckled and shook his head. "Considering I'm two years older than you, I understand completely. Let's go inside before my security people have puppies." He smiled as the women curtsied again and allowed him to pass between them into the mansion.

They were just inside the doors when Kaiser Wilhelm continued. "Alex, Brandon has
really
gone too far this time. The stuff he did in the past concerning the
Admiral Ann's Revenge
and her crew was bad enough, but we could recover from it. But this time?" The Kaiser shook his head. "This time he's embarrassed the entire
planet!
"

Countess Alexandra nodded as she walked by his side. "I understand, Willie. I've already initiated actions in the DA-CC Board to remove him. The kids have agreed to petition the courts to disperse his shares as soon as he goes to prison."

"You're already resigned to that?" the Kaiser asked.

She sighed deeply before simply saying, "Yes."

The Kaiser nodded. "Good. This is a diplomatic nightmare. It's grounds for Frisland to refuse to do business with New Frankfurt. And to break any contracts they had with DA-CC." The Kaiser shook his head sadly. A fair share of his personal fortune was tied up in DA-CC, and he'd quietly bought more since the initial contracts had been signed.

Countess Alexandra sighed deeply as she said, "I know." She gave the Kaiser a crooked smile when he looked at her. "We are fortunate that Ann and Sterling Stevenson are more forgiving than most. And that Kat is so well liked among her crewmates. They have decided, after a four-hour com-conference, to retain all previous contracts with DA-CC."

The Kaiser gave her a curious look. "Even after what Brandon did, and was trying to do?"

Countess Alexandra nodded. "I understand that Kat was responsible for a lot of that. She argued that it was a more fitting punishment for Brandon to see everything he lost in the hands of the rest of DA-CC. Especially those of her siblings. And I'll take a bit of credit for myself. My earlier dealings with the
Admiral Ann's Revenge
gave me a bit of leeway concerning this incident. So long as Brandon is out of the picture, they are willing to leave things as they are."

"I've been hearing about your interactions with the
Revenge
for quite a while," the Kaiser murmured.

"I thought Ernst was probably keeping you up to date."

The Kaiser smiled and shook his head. "So what are we going to do?"

Countess Alexandra smiled. "Well first I'm going to introduce you to the heads of the Farflung System government." She smiled as Ann and Sterling stepped forward. "My friends, I am pleased to present Kaiser Wilhelm IX, ruler of the Deutschland System and the planet of New Frankfurt. Kaiser Wilhelm, I am pleased to present Captain Annette Fairmont Stevenson and her husband, First Mate Sterling Silver Stevenson."

The Kaiser stepped forward and offered his hand. "On behalf of my planet and people, I welcome you to New Frankfurt."

Ann stepped forward and took the Kaiser's hand and replied, "Kaiser Wilhelm, we thank you for your greeting."

Sterling was next, and added clicked heels to his greeting. "Kaiser Wilhelm, I am pleased to meet you."

"And I am pleased to meet you both," the Kaiser replied. "What would be the proper title to address you by?" he asked, looking between them.

Ann answered. "For now, Captain is the only title we've used, Kaiser Wilhelm. We haven't decided on any other titles." She glanced at Sterling. "Something else for the 'To Do' list."

The Kaiser smiled. "Founding a new government is a challenge few have faced. I understand that you have a family connection to the Confederate Government. Your brother might be invaluable in that respect."

Ann bowed her head. "President Andretta suggested much the same thing, Kaiser Wilhelm."

"Let's get right to the point, shall we?" the Kaiser asked, and continued when both Ann and Sterling bowed their heads. "We would like to handle the trial of Brandon Von Rubenstein as quietly as possible. We can't keep it completely quiet, nor do we really want to, but we'd prefer to avoid a media circus."

Ann took a deep breath and nodded her agreement. "The less attention he receives, the better."

The Kaiser bowed his head slightly. "Thank you. Some of my ministers are ready to do anything, no matter how legal or not, to placate you in this matter."

Sterling gave Ann a sideways glance, then looked the Kaiser straight in the eye as he replied, "We'd prefer not to have to deal with him in any way. His treatment of Katrina, both before and after she joined our crew, was despicable. Fortunately, the rest of her family," he glanced at Countess Alexandra and Lady Bettina, "has made up for some of it. Deal with him as you wish."

Countess Alexandra smiled and reached out to lay a hand on Sterling's arm. "Thank you. Brandon will never bother you again."

The Kaiser was looking around with a puzzled expression. "Where is Katrina? I thought she'd be here."

Ann, Sterling, Bettina, and Alexandra chuckled together, drawing a frown from the Kaiser. Bettina explained, "Katrina is getting acquainted with her new nephews and nieces. She's upstairs buried in babies."

The Kaiser joined the laughter, dispelling the last of the tension in the room.

* * *

The trial of Brandon Von Rubenstein was set for ten days later. During that time Ann and Sterling were busy negotiating with dozens of concerns. Opening Frisland to colonization, and possible exploitation, was going to take a lot of capital. Some were firms from New Frankfurt, but others had followed the
Admiral Ann's Revenge
from Atlanta.

"Captain Stevenson! Captain Stevenson, a moment please," a voice called out from behind Ann and Sterling as they were returning to the ship. They both stopped and four people hurried forward to face them. They stopped short of the six armed Kaiser Security Service personnel that Kaiser Wilhelm had assigned to them.

"May we help you, sir?" Ann asked.

It took a moment, and then Sterling said, "Mister Lewis. I wondered who Germanicus was going to send."

Aaron Lewis bowed slightly. "Yes, well, seeing as we've had dealings before, it was deemed appropriate." He smiled at Ann and motioned to the people with him. "These are my colleagues, Nancy Easterbrook, Michael Morehouse, and Jason Cordoba. We would like to begin negotiations concerning mining on your Planet Leander. We understand that Planet Clementine is already fully contracted."

"You understand correctly," Ann replied. "Come with us. We have everything set up in the wardroom for review." She nodded to the security team leader, then walked into the ship.

Ann walked into the wardroom and looked around. Spotting Carrie-Marie, she asked, "Is Kat still planet-side?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ann shook her head and snorted in amusement. "We're going to have to hire a new cook, Sterling. We're never going to get her away from the babies."

Sterling laughed with her, and then looked at Carrie-Marie. "CM, order us some food and drinks from the station." They had continued to the briefing table and Ann immediately called up the hologram of Leander.

"Maritz has already contracted for mining rights on Leander. They are not, however, exclusive. Have you seen these scans before?"

"We have," Mister Lewis said as the others nodded. "We are very interested in your assessment that Leander has rich deposits of gold and platinum."

"I'm not surprised," Sterling commented, drawing disapproving looks from all four of the GMM representatives. "Oh, don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. Given the involvement of Amberson's and their criminal enterprises, it's not much of a secret anymore."

Mister Lewis sighed deeply. "No, it isn't. Still, it's not something we speak about very often. Our proposal is to send a mining ship with robotic extractors much like the ones you saw in operation at Germanicus. Our interest is primarily in the gold, platinum, and silver deposits. One of our subsidiaries manufactures electronic components. The gold is needed there since there is still no better metal for the purpose."

Ann nodded. "We know. You're not the first to approach us about it."

"Oh," Missus Easterbrook asked. "May we ask who else has contacted you?"

"Marduk Mines is primarily interested in the fissionables and transuranics elements, but expressed an interest in the precious metals as well. New Kashmir Metals is interested in the same things. DA-CC has also expressed an interest in expanding their operation to Leander."

Mister Lewis exchanged glances with his colleagues. "How long have you been negotiating?"

"Since we returned to the ship yesterday," Sterling answered with a trace of humor. "Countess Alexandra of DA-CC expressed their interest in Leander as well as Frisland while we were on the planet." He smiled as the GMM representatives exchanged glances again. "No, you aren't first."

Mister Lewis nodded. "We assumed DA-CC would express an interest, but the others are a surprise. How did they get here ahead of us?"

Sterling smiled. "We didn't make a secret of where we were going after Atlanta. They have been waiting here for more than a week."

Olaf and Denise joined them then, taking seats to Ann's left. "Mister Lewis, it's a pleasure to see you again," Denise said as she sat down.

"Ah, Cap-No, it's not captain anymore, is it? Miss Stabenow, it's a pleasure to see you again." Mister Lewis smiled and bowed his head.

Denise shook hers. "It's not Stabenow anymore, either," she replied with a grin. "Olaf finally agreed to marry me."

That threw Mister Lewis off balance for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "Congratulations."

"Captain Stevenson, are these negotiations to be open to everyone?" Mister Morehouse asked.

All four of the
Revenge
officers focused on him, but it was Ann who answered. "The Larsson's control twenty percent of the system. They have every right to be here."

That set both Mister Morehouse and Mister Cordoba back in their seats. Mister Cordoba cleared his throat and said, "We were not aware that you didn't have full authority in your system."

Ann's expression closed down briefly, and when she focused on Mister Cordoba, her eyes may as well have been laser cannons. "The ten crewmembers who were on board at the time of the accident each own ten percent of the system. While Sterling and I do have proxies from the rest of the crew for the purpose of negotiating contracts, each of them has every right to participate if they wish."

"Of course, Captain," Mister Lewis said to forestall anything unfortunate that the others might say. "It is just that things go more smoothly with fewer negotiators."

Sterling said, "There are four of you."

"A point well taken, Mister Stevenson," Mister Lewis conceded with a deep nod. "Now, we propose a five year grace period with a five percent-"

"No," Ann interrupted. "We've allowed DA-CC and Maritz grace periods to get things started in the system, but those are the only two we're going to allow."

"What do you mean?" Missus Easterbrook demanded.

"It means, quite simply, that we will not be granting any more exemptions or exceptions to anyone. The terms we presented to both Marduk Mines and New Kashmir Metals are these: Twenty-five percent of your net take from Leander."

"Ridiculous!"
Mister Morehouse all but shouted as he stood. "You bear no cost but you want twenty-five percent of-"

"Sit down!" Sterling snapped, cutting him off in mid rant. "Twenty-five percent of your
net
allows you to recover all of your costs and still retain seventy-five percent of your profits."

"It's outrageous!" Mister Cordoba began, but didn't get to finish.

Missus Easterbrook silenced them both without raising her voice. "Sit down and shut up, both of you." Both men shut their mouths with a snap and returned to their seats. "That is better."

Focusing on Ann, she bowed her head briefly. "My apologies, Captain Stevenson, to you and your crew. It seems I chose poorly when I assembled my team. I am the Executive Vice President over New Acquisitions for Germanicus Mining and Minerals. Twenty-five percent is excessive, given the distances involved and the difficulty in extracting metals from Leander's surface."

Ann looked her in the eye then shrugged. "DA-CC, Marduk, and NKM have already agreed to these conditions. Maritz got a better deal because they are also sending a star-liner to act as a space station in Frisland orbit."