Ownership Structure

  QFeed is a common stock company listed in Upsilon Irridini. As such, ownership is based on voting shares. At the time of this writing, the majority of voting shares are still held by the founders of QFeed and their immediate family. All employees are eligible for stock grants as part of their overall compensation package after one year of employment.

  Excerpted With Permission

  QFeed Incorporated, “New Employee Handbook”

  Copyright 3260, QFeed Incorporated

  It took another two full days to re-submit the paperwork and get all the contracts signed but at the end of that two days, QFeed had two Timur’s in C suite jobs and neither of them were named Leo, much to his relief. He could already tell that his mom was going to be a better CEO than Leo would have been. She knew how to manage a large team, how to set expectations and let people do their jobs. His dad was a certified accountant with a PHD in economics who had worked at trading mostly to remain closer to Leo’s mother. Being a CFO had been his dream before getting sidetracked into a Guild lifestyle. That only left his sister.

  Leo finally managed to pull out of the details of running the business long enough to talk to her. “Elise, what are your plans? What do you want?”

  Elise was settled comfortably on a couch in the VIP quarters, reading a pad. “I don’t know Leo, I always assumed I would be a trader.”

  “Ya, me too.”

  “Mom never really asked me what I wanted.”

  “Ya, me either.”

  “But you always seemed so eager to be a trader.”

  “I was. It was all I wanted. It wasn’t until I met Ramona that I started to realize the larger world out there.”

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  Elise nodded and went back to her reading. “I’ve been talking to Ollu. Is it true that you met a Brigadier General from the United Kingdom?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s crazy. To be honest, all the history lessons in school made me think about earth as a strange, mystical place. Not a real place with real people.”

  “I know. It’s different to know in a vague way to know that’s where all humans came from than it is to actually meet someone from there.”

  “Could I meet him?”

  “Who?”

  “The Brigadier.”

  “I’m sure you could. I don’t know where he is right now, but I assume he will go back to Svarg at some point.”

  “I want to write books.”

  “What?”

  “You asked me what I wanted. I want to write books. About earth, about history.”

  Leo smiled. He began typing. After a few minutes he finished and sent the message off to Carol. “OK.”

  “OK, what?”

  “OK, you have a drawing fund, a ship assigned to you and introductions to the Brigadier. No idea if he will talk to you but that’s the best I got.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Elise, you’re my little sister. Money I have. If you want to pursue your passion, you should do that.”

  Elise jumped off the couch and gave Leo a big hug. “This is insane!”

  “Send me a draft before you publish.”

  “Deal!” Elise ran to the door, only to meet his dad coming in. “DAD! DAD!! Leo gave me a research grant!!! I’m going to earth!! YAHOO!!!” Still screaming, she ran out the door and down the hall.

  Dan smiled, shaking his head and walked over to where Elise had been sitting. “Well, I guess that settles that.”

  Leo laughed. “I guess so. You OK with letting her run off to earth?”

  Dan smiled. “She’s an adult Leo, she can make our own decisions. Good for her to spread her wings and this is a pretty safe way. You have a plan of who to send along with her?”

  “Oh yeah, we have a good crew here and not much for the ship handlers to do any more. We will have our pick to send with her. I’ll let Ollu pick.”

  Dan nodded. He looked down for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. “So, what are you going to do son?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. Are you going after her?”

  Leo looked at his dad for a moment, shocked. “Dad, I don’t even know if she still wants me.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Hmm??”

  “Son, I don’t think that’s the issue.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No.” Dan folded his hands, examined backs of them for a moment. “Son, don’t take this the wrong way, but you have the killer instincts of a damp paper bag.”

  “What the hell does that mean, dad?”

  “It means, man the fuck up and go get her.”

  “And what if she doesn’t want me?”

  “Then you pick you sorry ass off the ground and move on.”

  “To what?”

  “To whatever. Don’t live your life afraid, son. Just do what you need to do.”

  Leo stood up. His dad stood also and walked over. Leo gave him a long bear hug. “Thanks dad.”

  “Come back to visit.”

  “Right.”