. 08

Author's notes:

This is the continuation of A Long Time from Home and if you haven't read that, I advise you to do so. The series is self-edited, so any mistakes are mine, though I now have a proofreader, that can catch missing words ect. Thanks to Jessejames932006 for doing that.

Some of the chapters will take place in the ancient past and while I have done a lot of research for that, there might be small errors here and there. If you think you found such an error in the story, please double check to be sure that you're correct and then PM me about it, so I can fix it. :)

Due to its length, I placed ALTFH under the 'Novels and Novellas' section, but as you can see, ALTFH II is placed in the 'Sci-fi and Fantasy' section, which fits it better due to the elements of magic that's in it. At least in my opinion :)

Have fun and while you're at it, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

About timing on uploads

Trust me, when I say that I do the best I can to upload as frequently as I can. Unfortunately, my RL is pretty hectic at the moment, and as this is a hobby and not a job, it can take a while from time to time.

About the notation:

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings

:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

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8 -- The week before the wedding - Part 1

Late September 2000, Oldenburg Island

While I had been busy having meetings with the individual departments, the rest of the CEO's had arrived for the wedding, which made a grand meeting with all the CEO's present possible. So far, I had used the department meetings to get a feel for both the CEO's and the division or subdivision they were running and had been impressed.

During the almost thirty years Parker had run the company, he had handpicked most of the high-level directors and used the loyalty codex on all of them. That had ensured their honesty, but beside that, they were all highly competent people, who not only excelled in their jobs, but also really loved what they were doing.

I had expected the directors to somehow resent the situation they were in, but they were blissfully unaware of the loyalty codex and enjoyed having a well-paid managing position in an efficient and successful company, which made it easier on my conscience as I transferred their loyalty to me. Not only to avoid any power struggle within the company, but also to prevent Parker's fail-safe from killing them as it slowly disintegrated, taking a significant part of their minds with it. This transfer was also the main reason for the meeting, aside from explaining how the company was going to use this year's extraordinary profit.

After Starlight Invest had been created, Parker had shared some of his vision-guided investments with both the company and its CEOs. As a result, Starlight Invest had grown extremely fast and most of the people there had regarded him as a genius when it came to business. Especially after the last couple of years, where he had orchestrated the sale of the stock in internet-based companies, as well as a few other selected companies. He had also ordered everybody else to do the same and despite protests, the mind-controlled directors couldn't do otherwise.

They didn't get rid of all of the shares before the market started to crash, losing almost a billion dollars on shares like Tiscali and pets.com, but by selling the rest when the market peaked, they had earned tens of billions of dollars. Cisco Systems, Intel, The Gab and Oracle Inc. had been sold for a mind boggling 60 billion dollars and those were just the high hitters among many other shares. After deducting expenses, Starlight Invest kept some of the money for re-investing, but the vast majority was transferred to Starlight Merchant Group as profit.

However, it wasn't only the company that made money, the employees did as well and not only those with the money to invest in stock. When reconstructing the company in the late 70s, Parker had implemented profit sharing, giving the employees ten percent of the yearly profit, while the Board of Directors shared half a percent and the owner got four and a half percent, leaving seventy-five percent to be reinvested after the ten percent corporate income tax.

Ten percent and half a percent didn't sound like a lot, but this year alone every one of Starlight's employees around the world would get an amount of money equal to somewhere between four and six months' pay in a bonus, depending on how long they have been working for the company, while the board members of the various companies under Starlight Merchant Group would get millions of dollars apiece.

I hoped the Board of Directors didn't expect the same insights in the stock market from me. I didn't have Parker's gift of

precognition

and despite the best efforts of Manuel Esteves and Sandra Rodriquez, I still had only a superficial knowledge about how the stock market worked.

As a result, I had quietly maintained the structure Parker had put in place: the Board of Directors ran the company, and the only time they truly needed my approval was when dealing with assets Parker had either purchased personally or deemed essential, be it shares, real estate, or anything else of strategic value.

That kept my involvement to a minimum, which suited me just fine. But even so, Parker's increasing detachment from everything outside the stock market had left a massive backlog of major deals, all demanding attention.

I had devised a plan to clear it, discussed it with the board, and secured their agreement. Now, with a few loose ends tied up, it was time to present it.

So, when the start of the meeting was over, along with the transfer of loyalty, I looked at Cedric Kerr, the CEO of Starlight Invest, and said, "Mr. Kerr, before I go into the plans for the next year, there're a few things we have to do."

"Yes, sir."

"I've reviewed our holdings in two major American pharmaceutical companies and frankly, I don't like them. Call it a gut feeling, but they're making too much money on other people's suffering and I want out of them. Both personally and as a company."

A short, slightly overweight man beside Kerr stiffened in alarm. Jakob Mathiasen, CEO of Starlight Finance and Kerr's superior, primarily dealt with banking rather than investments. He cleared his throat, clearly uneasy.

"Ehh... are you sure that's wise, sir? They generate a substantial dividend."

"I'm not talking about every medical stock we own, Mr. Mathiasen," I clarified. "Just Pfizer and Merck." I let that sink in before continuing. "Half the profits from the sale will go toward expanding Starlight BioTech."

Across the table, Nikolas Holtman of Starlight Technologies and Royston Farrell of Starlight Research exchanged thrilled glances. I ignored them and pressed on.

"I'd rather we make and sell medicine at reasonable prices than help others overcharge for it."

Mathiasen fidgeted, clearly weighing his options before exhaling a long sigh. "I can't persuade you to reconsider?"

"Not unless you have a better argument than 'they make us money.'"

He hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. "I don't."

"Then sell them," I said simply. "I've reviewed the stock prices. We bought in at the right time, and even after expenses, we're looking at a profit of about nine billion dollars." I let that number land before delivering the final push. "Which means Starlight Research and thus BioTech get an extra four and half billion dollars to use for an expansion."

I had already instructed Sandra Rodriguez to sell off my personal stock. It wasn't like I needed the extra two billion dollars, but after my conversation with Petra about the sale of illegal medicine in Africa and Asia, I had taken a closer look at the pharmaceutical companies and didn't like what I saw. It might be my limited knowledge of how things worked, but if a medical company could earn so much money, they should lower their prices.

"Yes, sir." Mathiasen sighed and nodded, while Cedric Kerr typed something on a small handheld device, before he looked up. "They will be sold, sir."

I nodded and changed the subject. "Good. Now for something else... I have been busy looking at unfinished deals and skimming through suggestion files dating back years." I let that sink in, then continued. "There's no shortage of ideas on where to reinvest our profits. Frankly, I haven't had time to analyze them all in depth." I paused, letting their nods confirm they understood. "However, some of them caught my attention... Mostly because they fit directly into the company profile."

I turned to Royston Farrell from EcoTech. "First is Clean Harbors, Inc. Mr. Farrell, according to you, the environmental service the company provides is very good and will continue to be in demand in the future. You still stand by that assessment?"

Farrell nodded. "Absolutely. They provide top-tier environmental cleanup and waste management services, and demand for their work will only grow. We already own ten percent of their shares, and at current market value, acquiring a controlling stake would cost us about a hundred million."

"Excellent." I shifted my gaze to Cedric Kerr. "Mr. Kerr, work with Mr. Farrell on this."

"Yes, sir."

"Good." I turned to Benedicte Zaal, CEO of Starlight Hospitality. "The second company is Green Mountain Coffee. Mrs. Zaal, would you explain?"

Benedicte Zaal, CEO of Starlight Hospitality, smiled warmly. "Of course. Green Mountain Coffee supplies all the coffee for Dream Holiday and Dream Resorts. They're organic, fair trade certified, and an incredibly well-run operation. We've looked into acquiring them before, but Mr. Oldershaw vetoed it every time. Mostly because he didn't want to go into the coffee business."

"Consider it un-vetoed." I said dryly. "I might not drink coffee, but almost all of you support the proposal and I think it's time we do something about it."

"Yes, sir." She said with a smile, while the rest chuckled.

I let the amusement settle before sweeping my gaze across the table. "Ladies and Gentlemen. You're all very good at your jobs and you all have a lot of very good suggestions." They all looked at me in silence. "However, there's no way we have time to go over every proposal in detail, so this is what I'm going to do." I paused and smiled. "We do have an extraordinary amount of profit this year. With that in mind, I've made some decisions... Ebba Hartmann."

The grey-haired CEO of Starlight Alloys blinked, momentarily startled that I had singled her out. "Yes, sir?"

"I'm approving your request for a new steel alloy manufacturing plant," I announced. "Provided, of course, it follows our environmental standards."

Her face lit up in a smile that softened the years in her expression. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," I replied, noting the ripple of satisfaction among the CEOs around her, those from Starlight Construction and Oldenburg Electric, whose teams would undoubtedly be involved in the project.

"Next, I want to address one more individual project before we move on," I continued. "This one comes from Oriental Real Estate."

Lee Collins, distinguished as always in his sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses, straightened in his chair. There was a flicker of hope in his expression, which made sense. His proposal for a commercial skyscraper in Hong Kong's central district was as ambitious as it was costly. A billion-dollar investment wasn't a decision to be made lightly.

"Yes, sir?" His voice carried a note of cautious optimism.

I met his gaze and gave a decisive nod. "Build your skyscraper, Mr. Collins."

Relief and satisfaction spread across his face in a tight but grateful smile. "Thank you, sir."

"There's no need to thank me, it's an excellent proposal," I assured him before shifting my attention back to the room. "For the rest of you, I'm earmarking twenty billion dollars for investment in older projects."

Murmurs of approval and excitement rippled through the room, but I raised a hand to quiet them. "Additionally, for the next year, I'm raising the spending threshold for Starlight Merchant Group, and specifically Starlight Invest, to five hundred million dollars before requiring board approval. " I let that sink in. "Of course, the usual corporate guidelines apply, and you'll need to keep Mr. Estevez and Ms. Rodriguez informed."

I paused, scanning the table. Then, with just the right amount of weight in my voice, I added, "One year, Ladies and Gentlemen. You have 365 days to make your proposals happen within a reasonable budget. If not, I expect them to disappear."

Another grey-haired woman raised a hand. "I have a few things from Titan Aerospace's Acadia I would like to discuss with you but doing it here will only take up everybody's time. I'll send you a report after the meeting, and we can go over it later this week."

I nodded. The elegant looking woman was Margret Jaeger, General Manager of

Shadow Forge

, which was Starlight's prototype department, responsible for developing advanced military products with help from the other research departments. Among them Titan Aerospace's

Acadia

, Shark Naval Tech's

Nova Division

and Svalinn Defence's

Phantom Guard

.

As an advanced research department, Shadow Forge and the divisions under it, was one of the few divisions where Parker's Loyalty Codex had been rigorously applied to all higher-ranking members. That alone made transferring the department under my control before its leadership lost their minds a top priority, and I would have to visit them at some point for exactly that reason. The other department was Starlight Security, and I had already taken care of that.

Jaeger's role was to coordinate between these divisions, ensuring they worked together efficiently while liaising with other sectors. It wasn't an easy job, but she had executed it flawlessly for over a decade.

"There is, however, a project I would like founding for. " She continued smoothly. "Acadia is working on creating a faster version of the twin rotor Dragonfly M3 Archer, but the development will take at least two years and cost several hundred million dollars. It's a risk, but according to our calculations, we could sell at least a hundred units if we succeed."

Digging into my memory again, I discovered that the M3 Archer she was talking about was the armed helicopter I had seen in action in Costa Rica. Like so many others of Dragonfly's helicopters, it was based on a Russian design, reengineered just enough to avoid being a direct copy, then built with superior materials, modernized electronics, and more efficient engines.

Glancing over at Eric van Koppen, asked. "Your input, van Koppen?"

"I don't know." He admitted. "The calculations also show that there's a good chance it will cut into the sale of the M8 Banshee. On the other hand, the sales of both the M8 and M3 were expected to drop within the next few years, so this might be a good idea with a new and faster version." He shrugged. "As Mrs. Jaeger rightly said, it is a risk."

Thinking it over, I nodded and looked over at Margret Jaeger. "Mrs. Jaeger, move forward with development. We're going to take that risk."

She smiled warmly, inclining her head. "Thank you, sir."

A slim man in his thirties raised a hand as well. I recognized him as Jan den Adel, the CEO of

Dream Voyages

, a small cruise line specialized in using sailing ships as cruise ships.

I gave him a nod. "Yes, den Adel?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable as he said. "I've sent a suggestion to you, that falls outside the one-year limit." Hailing from the Island of Bonaire in the Caribbean, which was Dutch territory, den Adel had Dutch roots, and his pleasant voice had the accent to match his origins. "Have you had a chance to review it?"

I nodded again.

Dream Voyages

typically cruised the Mediterranean in the summer and then crossed the Atlantic to cruise the Caribbean in the winter, but Jan den Adel suggested expanding into South-East Asia and had given a thirty-page explanation to why it was a sound investment, how to execute it, and projected profits. Parker had turned him down, but now Parker was gone, Jan den Adel had sent it to me instead.

His suggestion made a lot of sense and as far as I could see, the biggest hurdle in his proposal was the price tag attached to it. He was asking for permission to build a four-masted sailing cruise ship, which would cost a hundred million dollars and take about two years to build. A timeframe that would take the project over the time limit I had set.

"Yes, Mr. den Adel, I've read your proposal," I said, studying him. "And I have to say it makes sense, but two years is a long time to wait for a new ship on an unknown route. Can we talk about this in detail when the meeting is over?"

"Certainly, sir." He said with a smile and to my surprise, there was a spike of desire from him, muted by a good deal of self-control and realism.

I swallowed a chuckle. Parker's file had stated Jan den Adel was a homosexual, but until now, I had forgotten all about it. Mostly because it didn't matter. Despite Parker's other glaring flaws, he hadn't discriminated on gender or sexuality and had picked people purely based on their skills and personality. As a result, about forty percent of the CEO's in Starlight Merchant Group were women and den Adel was just one of several homosexuals of either gender.

Then I remembered my encounter with Annika. The Dutch woman, who had been on the Island to help her son settle in at the University, with her daughter starting her second year. Over dinner, she'd casually mentioned parting ways with her ex-husband, Jan, when he realized he was gay. She had also mentioned that he worked for Dream Voyages, a sailing cruise line under Starlight Hospitality.

All in all, it meant that there was a very good chance that I had been close to sharing pleasure with the ex of one of my directors.

Pushing the thought away, I turned my attention back to the meeting. I would handle that later, if it ever came up in conversation, but for now I had a meeting to lead.

--------------------------------

When the meeting ended, the directors walked out talking excitingly among themselves, leaving me with Jan den Adel and Sandra Rodriquez.

Leaning back in the seat, I looked at him. "A hundred million dollars is a large bet for a small subdivision, den Adel. Do you have any other suggestions for ships that might suit the purpose?"

He didn't hesitate. "There aren't any sailing cruise ships available at the moment," he said with complete certainty. "If you're open to other suggestions, there are a couple of motor sailing yachts on the market, but Mr. Oldershaw didn't allow us to consider those, as he felt that was against the pure sailing concept of Dream Voyage."

"What exactly are those? Motor sailing yachts, I mean."

"They're hybrid vessels. Small cruise ships that use both sail and engines for sailing." Jan explained. "Incidentally, two of them are up for sale right now. They were ordered by Argo Tall Ship Cruises, which filed for bankruptcy last month. The French shipyard building them is still finishing the work, but the bank backing the project is getting desperate for buyers. My estimate is about $35 million each."

"Thirty-five million?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised they weren't more expensive. "How big are these ships?"

"480 feet long and 60 feet wide." He stated without hesitation, proving he had done his research. "Both have a capacity of 200 passengers, with a crew of 103... I've sailed on their sister ship and they're excellent vessels, not to mention that they're well-built, intimate, and a perfect fit for our concept."