Chapter 21

Xi Pegasi
Colony One
December 31, 2057

Devin and Lenna stepped out of their cottage and walked along the path toward the admin building. The large moon was high in the sky, and the party was no doubt in full swing by now. Devin inhaled the crisp night air, laden with the scent of pine, and smiled blissfully. “I know the other colony sites are beautiful, but I like it right here the best.”

“I know,” Lenna reached out and touched a low-hanging branch. “Maybe I should go visit the other sites. I just haven’t had the time.”

“Well, now that the shuttles are making suborbital runs again, we can do that. I’d like to take a break for awhile.” Devin smiled and pulled Lenna close. “And you need the time off, too.”

“We’ve got the party to attend first. Once we’ve done our jobs here, then we will go. I’ll slip out later and set it up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Devin squeezed her gently. “We have a trip out at ten hundred local time tomorrow for Colony Three, or whatever they’re going to rename it tonight.”

Lenna stopped and hugged him. “Thank you, that’s a nice surprise.”

Devin hugged her, then stepped back and held her at arm’s length. “Oh, I almost forgot. Keith sent me a little present a while back, and I want you to have it.”

“Present?” Her eyes narrowed. “What did you two cook up now?”

“Well,” Devin extracted a small box from his inside jacket pocket. It was as wide and twice as long as the palm of his hand, and about five centimeters high. He took it in both hands and opened it, then turned it to show her the contents.

“Oh!” Lenna’s hand flew to her mouth. “Is that... ?” She stared at the box as her eyes filled with tears.

“If you’re thinking it’s the biggest diamond necklace you’ve ever laid eyes on, you’re right. Along with the biggest ring and earrings. Keith hit a whole mess of them on a dig, and there are lots more where these came from. The settings are all platinum, with a little gold tossed in for good measure.” He turned the box around and lifted the necklace. A dozen almond-sized diamonds shimmered in the moonlight. They were separated by smaller stones, all mounted in intricate settings. Devin manipulated the clasp. “Turn around, my love.”

Lenna turned as Devin lifted the necklace over her head and settled it onto her chest. Her evening gown was cut as low as she dared, and the necklace lay between her throat and the tops of her breasts. She held her long brown hair up off her neck as Devin fastened it for her. She turned to find him holding a ring with yet another massive diamond, its setting a match for the necklace. He took her right hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. “I’ll let you handle the earrings.”

She lifted them out of the case. They were smaller versions of the necklace stones, set in a lacework of platinum and gold. She put them on and dropped her hands to her side.

“Beautiful,” Devin breathed. “Keith had told me one of his people had set up a gem cutting unit, but I didn’t know she had it running until I got these.”

Lenna looked down at the necklace. “Oh, Devin, I can’t wear this! It’s horribly expensive, and these are the crown jewels!”

Devin nodded. “Keith prepared me with some figures that might help you here.”

“Oh?”

“See, he found enough of those diamonds to give every lady in the system about three sets of what you’re wearing. Granted, you’ve got the pick of the litter for clarity and quality by far. But, only an expert can tell the difference in some of the others. As for the gold and platinum, we have about as much here as Earth has collected over the last thousand years. If you care to look at it that way, we are all filthy, stinking rich. We have equal shares in the Company, and there are only five hundred shares. We collectively own this entire star system, Lenna.”

Her eyes widened. “I never thought of that.”

“Me, either, to be honest. But, we have no need for money, and we won’t have the need for a long time, I suspect. Still, we can stake a legal claim to this star system that would hold up at home, and we can reach all the resources in it given enough time. It’s ours. All of it.”

“How about private property?”

“The company contract allows for us to lay claim to our own businesses, ideas, and property.”