Adam docked on the Hub with the crew and escorted the professors back into the hub; Roks winked and stayed back. Adam could see Kina, so he asked her to wait before they left. He wanted to speak with them. Afterward, he said goodbye to the professors and Min-Na, telling her he would drop by the office later as he would stay a few days. The professor was quite excited as he promised to drop by the school before he left. Then, he returned to the yacht and called out before entering. He didn’t want to interrupt anything, and after a while, Roks came out with a grin as he put on a shirt.
“She really likes the yacht. So, what can we help you with?”
Adam chuckled. “Just a quick update and ask a favor.”
“Okay, well, She sold for 1,8 million. You were right. It will take a few more months before the market adjusts. It should be in the company account, and the trip went flawlessly. Looks like somebody is really going after the pirates in that area. Maybe that friend of yours is making an impact.” Roks explained and Adam accepted the update.
“Well, that’s good, Okay, for the other part. You guys are allowed to go back to your homeworld, right? If you want to drop by and pick up some flowers and genetic material, then please do. Now that we will have islands, I want to make one with more Tufon flora and Fauna so you can get your Hurnsa; buy the whole genetic sample of the ecosystem system from the Hurnsa down to the grass the prey eats, and we can see if we can't get it done. And that island will be a primary Tufon, so we might build a village there. Let's just call them refugees, if you get my drift. I might have one for the Haran’s later.”
“That’s going to cost some credits, probably 10,000 credits.”
Adam looked at him, confused. “Yes? And?”
Roks shook his head as Kina came out. She smiled. “What are you guys talking about?”
“He wants us to go home and buy the genetic material for a Tufan island so we won't feel homesick at Dirt,” Roks said with a grin, and Adam just nodded.
“You got me. Now go have fun. I have to fix a few things, and I expect I won't see you for at least a month or two.”
“Aye sir!” Kina said, and Roks just grinned.
He left them and watched them leave, then checked on Dream. The ship was in great state, and D06 made itself known, awaiting orders. He told it to wait and monitor his vital signs. If he ceased to exist to document it, send the documentation to Min-Na and Dirt, then return to Dirt awaiting further orders, unless He gave him new orders. The Hub was safe, but now he had grown bigger and he had to worry about the megacorporation who might just want to take over the operation. It was a risk to show the plans to Min-Na. She could betray him to make a few extra credits. He had to ensure she would see him as a better long-term investment.
He went to check the goods terminal and saw that the first batch of cargo from Earth had arrived, so he transferred it to Dream. He had barely filled one cargo section with the load, but the droids were the newest on the market, and he knew Vorts would go crazy to play with the cloning machine he had bought. The DNA prints contained over a million different samples, everything from plants and bugs to all types of animals; each sample type came with 30 different DNA strands to ensure variations. He glanced at the different types of entertainment; the kids would love the games, books, and movies he had bought. 500 Exabytes of each media should be enough to keep them entertained. He checked the ship again and went to sleep; the next day, he went to Min-Na for a chat. She greeted him and introduced him to some of her other employees. They discussed different business opportunities and investments he could invest in. One of her lawyers, a Haran named Hart-nei, mentioned the slave companies, and Adam just stared at him. Min-Na explained that while Adam had made a fantastic short-term contract that several of their clients had copied when they wanted to buy free friends, he himself was actually quite against slavery.
Another lawyer, a beautiful humanoid orange alien with long silky black hair and golden eyes that he recognized as a Scisya, looked at him surprised and asked why he had bought so many then. Min-Na smiled as Adam looked back at her. Her species was one of the most sought-after slaves due to their sensuality. “Because I intend to free them all.”
“Even the one with a life sentence?” She asked, and Adam nodded.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Even them.” Min-Na said.
“How?” She tilted slightly and could not help but look even more sensual.
“Now, Mis-jin, do not seduce our client.” Min-Na interrupted, and Adam smiled.
He turned to Min-Na. “Look, I don’t mind a beautiful lady. And neither do you, my dear Min-Na. And I don’t mind answering as you already know it.” He turned back to Mis-Jin, who seemed to blush. It was clear she had not intended to seduce him.
“I'm human; we don’t allow slavery, and we simply do not accept it. When my colony is up and running, we will declare it a slave-free system. Being a human, I can gain Earth’s support, which would mean any attack on Dirt would be an attack on Earth’s sovereignty. I will, at that point, lose Dirt to Earth, and they will appoint an administrator to take my place while I will be jailed for keeping slaves.”
“What? You are going to free the slaves just so you can go to jail?” She looked shocked.
Adam nodded. “Roks will take over the clan and the business in my absence; I will be jailed for between 10 to 30 years unless I have some good lawyers to get the case tossed.”
“And if you win the case? Do you still lose Dirt?” Hart-nei asked.
“If I win, then I become the true owner of Dirt, can choose my title, and control it with Earth's protection. Earth might want a presence here. With any luck, a few human companies will also set up shop here. That’s where the opportunities will come. I might be able to interest Ares Company* to set up at least a shop here.” He replied, and Hart-nei looked at Min-Na with greedy eyes, and she simply smiled.
“Wait, you’re willing to risk everything to free the slaves? Tell me, were you born or made?” Mis-jin asked, and Adam shrugged.
“Does it matter?” Adam replied.
“Not really; well, my people have this legend, prophecy about a stranger from far away, he who was made. He is supposed first to free his own people, then travel the dark sea until he comes to our land, there he will build a home from nothing and then die to protect the bound. He will be killed, but his mate will bring him back. Then, he will face the hammer, and when it strikes, our world will change, and we will no longer fear to be bound. It’s a kid's tale, but the point is we have been waiting for that guy for centuries. We call him Jad-him. So, I just want to know if you were made and if you have a mate who is a sort of healer?” She looked at him seriously, and Adam chuckled.
“I have no mate, so it can't be me. Besides, If I die, you won't be able to bring me back; I'm just human.”
She bowed her head, “I'm sorry, it was way out of line.”
Min-Na grinned. “What was it that farmer called you?”
“Galios, another legend. It’s just because I'm a stranger from afar with strange ideas. “ Adam smiled at that.
“Next, somebody will probably claim he is Kasus.” Hart-nei added, and Min-Na burst out laughing.
“Him? The peacebringer? The one who finds the path to Hissian?” They all laughed and Adam didn’t get it.
“Who is Kasus, and what’s Hissian?” He asked, and Minna smiled.
“Another legend is from the Haran mythos. You can say Kasus is our saviour who will befriend the universe, and the universe will let him open the door to Hissian. That is where all our Paradis worlds are hidden because we did not deserve them. He will wash away our sins and let us pass. Oh, and he will also die for this and be resurrected by the one who loves him the most and pushes him hardest. The galaxy has many such myths, and there is always somebody claiming to be this guy.”
Adam laughed. “Well, I just want to help my friends; the whole galaxy seems a little out of my reach.”
“Yeah, so let's get back to business. Human companies on Dirt!” Min-Na said, and Adam focused on her, missing the look Mis-Jin gave him.
He spent several more days on the Hub talking to the professors and ended up with twenty-five new students and three assistant professors to join him. Before he left, he went to Soshu, the trader, and emptied his stocks again, both to his joy and annoyance, as Adam had not changed and almost gave him a heart attack with his unusual way of doing business. He was about to leave when he walked past the slave pen and, to his shock, saw the new stock coming in. Thirty Scisya children and seven adults. Before he knew it, he stood inside; he saw too much suffering. When he left, he cursed himself. He had bought the whole lot, a hundred and fifty new slaves. Then he stopped and walked back inside. He took the trader,Mr. Knug, aside and told him he had a better offer. He could provide human-designed droids that would sell for a much higher profit. He showed him the design of a maid droid and sold him on the lack of extra cost with storage. The droid didn’t need food or care.
The Wossir owner was interested when Adam discussed the profit margin. He also noticed that Adam was human, and another human in the sector had targeted pirates and slavers, so the cost of buying them for resale was higher. Adam contacted Min-Na and drew up a contract. Adam made a few adjustments, and Min-Na was quite impressed. The man had not noticed that he had sold the company to Adam for the price of the slaves and a million credits. The Adam now owned the slave license and the warehouses. Adam told him to keep the pens empty while he worked on restocking the wares.
When he finally left, he messaged Jork about building a droid factory to mass-produce the maid and construction droids.
When Adam arrives at Dirt, he gets a message from Mr. Knug. He has orders for one thousand droids and asks about delivery time. Adam sighed as he looked down at Dirt. Well, at least he is home.
He watched in silence as the three other ships' decedent and a ten cubic kilometer ice cube of nitrogen were being turned into gas in low orbit. He also thought he saw the beginning of a large satellite with a construction platform. He started regretting letting engineers loose. What the hell would be the next thing those idiots would make him? They don’t have enough for a space station.