Frank Langhorn was not a rich man without reason. Unlike Jabe, he'd made his own money. He'd risked, he'd made mistakes, and he'd learned how to recover from them. It turned out we were very lucky to have him on our side when this kidnap issue broke out. While we were dueling with Neptune, he'd been dueling with Jabe Kalanov on Titan. There were several messages waiting for us when we got to the orbiter.
One of them said, "The prosecutor is on this case and Jabe has been arrested for criminal neglect. Frank has been moved to Titan Colony General Hospital. It appears that Frank did visit Casa Sucra with Jabe, and did have an accident serious enough to send him to the hospital. Once in the hospital, Jabe's people drugged him deeply, and then Jabe sent you his message. Now that he's getting reasonable treatment, he should recover quickly."
Another one said, "I've continued the negotiations that Kalinov started with REI. We come to a solution... if it is a solution you can agree to. We will set up a joint venture with REI called REI Titan. Ownership will be split 50-50, and REI Titan will supply REI with 50 percent of the Rubyzin it acquires. For that, it will get 50 percent of the gross of what REI sells it for. The rest of the Rubyzin that REI Titan acquires, it can sell as it pleases. REI Titan can acquire Rubyzin from anyone, and from any place, but Jupiter. From what you have said in previous messages, this is a win-win for all sides of this Rubyzin problem."
"Wow... it sure is!" I say and the others nod in agreement.
Yet another message said, "John, I've asked my lawyers to help out on the patent applications you've filed on the propulsion system. I think it's very important that you get those claimed. In the long run, those will be your ticket to fame and fortune, just as much as any Ruby you fellows bring out. You will be remembered much longer is the inventors of the Bacta Crawlers than you will as discoverers of Rubyzin on Neptune."
"He's been a good man to have on our side." I say, "Now, a big question and a little question. The little question is do we still make a stop at Cracker-Hensley Comet? And the big question is: Now that we are multi-billionaires, for sure, what's for dinner?" We cheered as we headed for the mess hall.
-- The End --