The Data Trader’s Guild

  Prior to the successful commercialization of QFeed, the Data Trader’s guild would manually move data from system to system with ships called “Data Arks.” While this seems like an absurdly slow way to propagate information across the galaxy, this system was used for hundreds of years before QFeed created the commercial quantum data transfer industry.

  Excerpted With Permission

  QFeed Incorporated, “New Employee Handbook”

  Copyright 3260, QFeed Incorporated

  An hour later, they were all settled around the large coffee table in Leo’s office, Leo and Ollu were in two leather chairs with his mother, father and sister facing them on the long leather couch. Leo’s mother shook her head. “Leo, I have to say that I didn’t believe any of this QFeed nonsense and I certainly didn’t believe that you planned to end the guild.”

  Leo put his coffee cup down. “They tried to kill me and my crew, mom.”

  She sighed. “I know Leo, I know.”

  Leo looked surprised. “You believe me?” Suddenly he was six again and he was explaining why the class bully had a bloody nose. He realized it was VERY VERY important to him that his mother understood.

  She laughed. “Leo, I love you, but you are a TERRIBLE liar. If you tell me that’s what happened, I believe you. The last time you lied to me was when you were six and that awful brat Timmy tried to take your G-Ball away.”

  “You knew I was lying about his bloody nose?”

  “Yes, honey. We all knew. He took away your G-Ball and you decked him.”

  Suddenly, Leo’s sister was interested. “Wait, Leo gave Timmy Olafson a bloody nose!?!”

  Leo’s Dad put his hand on her arm. “Elise, this isn’t the time for family history.” He turned to his wife. “Trace, what does this mean for the Guild?”

  Tracy shook her head. “Dan, the Guild is over.” She shook her head. “Those stupid bastards.”

  Leo laughed which caused a started look from his family. “Sorry, that’s exactly what Craig said.”

  His mom sighed. “I only met Craig once, can’t say I was terribly impressed. I guess I underestimated him.”

  Ollu shifted in her chair. “He pretended to be an asshole, but when push came to shove, he sacrificed himself to save all of us.”

  Leo waved his hand vaguely in the air. “All of this is his doing.” Leo shrugged. “I had no intention of being CEO, but I guess now that the Guild is gone, QFeed is basically the biggest commercial enterprise on this side of the spiral arm.”

  That casual admission shocked his mother more than the tales of combat and destruction. “Wait, what? How big is QFeed?”

  Leo glanced at his pad briefly. “Well, at the moment we have exclusive rights to transmit data via quantum in twenty systems and we’ve got about a hundred franchise contracts in flight. We charge in local currency, but we’re averaging just under a guilder per TB at current exchange rates.”

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  “And you are charging per TB? Per Light Year?”

  “Per TB, flat rate. The plan was to undercut the Guild but not violate the rule against data trading. We are a transmission business only which is allowed under Guild charter.”

  Leo could see the gears turning in her head, but it was his father who spoke first. “So you are driving income about two to three times what a data ark could pull down and you are about to significantly reduce your operating costs by pushing capital investments to a partner channel.”

  Ollu was shocked and let it show on her face. She turned to Leo. “I thought your mom was the Master Trader.”

  Leo laughed for a second time. “Mom is the people person; dad is the numbers guy. Taught me accounting when I was six.”

  Ollu looked at Dan. “Leo was a good student.” He looked back to his son. “How close am I Leo?”

  Leo smiled. “Not bad. We are doing 203% of Data Ark average at current run rate, but that’s all direct business in the ten systems where we operate but our labor costs are higher than a Data Ark by about 40%. Our franchise business only gives us 20% of the gross but allows us to grow much faster and has a lower labor burden. Our current projection is that our ARR will be roughly ten times the Guild average within a year. Right now, we have no real competitors but that will change. It’s a land grab and we’re moving aggressively.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Ya.”

  Dan looked at his wife. “Well hon, I think you don’t have to worry about Leo making master.”

  Later, much later, Leo got his family settled into “Executive Guest Quarters” one level down from the QFeed offices. He had no idea that there was such a thing, but as usual Carol was her efficient self and had the special apartments set aside for VIP visitors opened, cleaned and supplied with refreshments before Leo even had time to wonder where they would stay.

  Leo and Ollu had been discussing the day’s events in his office for over an hour when she got up and wandered over to the empty wall behind where Gunny had died. “I need a drink.”

  Leo shrugged. “I can ask Carol to get us something.”

  “Leo, do you really think that Craig built himself an office but didn’t include a bar in it?”

  “Um. Well, now that you mention it, no.”

  She examined the wall for a moment, then nodded. She walked over and pushed a discreet button on the wall. In a moment, the wall slid aside to show a shiny mahogany bar with expensive looking bottles racked above what looked like real crystal glasses. “Um, ya. That is what I expected.” After a moment perusing the bottles, she selected one, grabbed two glasses, put exactly one large ice cube in each and splashed two fingers of a brown liquor into each. She handed one to Leo and then walked over to Leo’s desk and opened the roof. The brilliant light of Fluffy flooded the room. Sighing, she settled into one of the leather chairs and took a sip of her drink. “Holy shit, Craig knew his booze. I think this is real Scotch.” She took another sip. “From Earth.”

  Leo sipped his. It had a smoky flavor that he had never experienced before. “I don’t know anything about Scotch. I assume this is really good stuff.”

  Ollu smiled. “Ya, the best. Of course.” She looked at Leo seriously. “OK Leo, what are you going to do?”

  “I thought I was running this company for us.”

  “Not for me Leo, I couldn’t care less.”

  “Well, don’t we owe it to Craig?”

  “Come on Leo. Can you imagine what Craig would say if he were here? What kind of bullshit is that?”

  Leo thought for a moment. Took a sip. Thought some more. “He would tell me to go.”

  Ollu smiled. “Go where?”

  “To Raeburn. It would be better for the vid if I chased after Ramona.”

  Ollu laughed. “Yep. Gotta have good character development and close off all the story arcs.”

  “Ya.”

  “So, what’s stopping you?”

  “Dammit Ollu, this is my life we are talking about, not a vid. I have responsibilities!”

  Ollu leaned back. “Oh.”

  “OH?!?” Leo slammed his glass down. “What do you mean OH!??”

  Ollu just grinned wider. “Oh, I see that you are all wound up in your own bullshit again.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  Ollu leaned forward, an intense look on her face. “Leo, think like Craig.”

  “Like Craig? How does that help me?”

  She just stared at him.

  “Like Craig?” Leo calmed down and thought about it. What would Craig do? Until recently, Leo would have chosen to do the opposite of whatever Craig would have done. Now he wasn’t so sure. Craig would leverage the assets around him to his benefit. That was for certain. But what assets did he have? Money. Shit tons of money. But what he needed wasn’t money. He needed people. People he could trust. People who could run a massive business. People he knew. OH FUCK.

  Ollu saw the realization on his face. “Took you long enough, sport.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yep.”

  Leo picked up a communicator. “Dad? Is mom there with you? I have a proposition for you both.”