HMC Shed's It's Skin

Posted on Sat Apr 4th, 2015 @ 10:37am by James Holbridge

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: HMC Office Suites

The job of a CEO is never really done, and Tricia Holbridge, the wife of Jim Holbridge and the corporate CEO of Holbridge Mining Consortium, was getting a little tired of the daily grind. Her son, JD, was already seventeen years old and making noises about joining the Satellite Academy. Jim had already voiced his dissent in the matter, but when it came to family affairs, Tricia ran the house and Jim usually fell in line after a week or two without affection or sleeping on the sofa.

=/\=There is a real-time subspace transmission waiting for you,=/\= the computer announced. Jim had tried to have Eddie hardwired into the base mainframes but the admiral had refused, citing security concerns.

"Open the channel," Tricia ordered with a sigh. The holo viewer snapped on and the smiling, aged visage of Gerald Holbridge beamed at her. "Daddy!"

=/\=Hello, sweetheart!=/\= Gerald greeted his daughter-in-law. =/\=Where's my flyboy son?=/\=

"He was called away to Site 6." Tricia answered. "Dad, there is something happening out there. Captain Hawke and a ship full of old codgers went racing out there...."

=/\=Stop right there!=/\= the elder Holbridge held up his hand. =/\=Starfleet has seen fit to inform me that the immediate area around Site 6 has been quarantined until Li Hawke and your husband return to the base. In light of that decision, I am in talks with several brokers to sell the company. Some Ferengi has made a more than generous offer and I am gonna take it.=/\=

Tricia actually smiled at this news. "So does this mean Jim and I are out of a job?"

=/\=Not in the least. I sent a memo and a paper to your Admiral Wegener about my son's fighter and starship designs. It seems that Starfleet R+D Admiral Morgan is feeling a little generous and wants to interview Jim for a possible consultancy position. The Delta Quadrant needs Starfleet vessels if the Federation is going to extend it's presence. Now, I am not sure of your base's internal capacity, but it would be simplicity itself to build a shipyard in a nearby orbit along with the necessary infrastructure. I could easily set it up with what the Ferengi is offering me for the mining operation and have enough to retire to Risa with my wife ten times over!"=/\=

Tricia nodded. "Jim mentioned it to me several times about a shipyard. When does the admiral want to talk with him?"

=/\=You two need to bring my grandchildren to Gault IV so I can see them while my son yaks with the brass on Earth.=/\=

"That means at least a month of space travel and the girls are in school yet," Tricia objected.

=/\=Missing a month of long division and learning to spell squirrel isn't gonna stunt their intellectual growth!=/\= Gerald said, his voice slightly edgy. =/\=I will expect you here in two weeks as soon as Jim comes back.=/\=

"Okay, daddy," Tricia sighed, knowing her father-in-law was just as hard-headed as her husband. "When Jim gets back, we will head out. In the meantime, I will start shutting down our end of the operation."

=/\=Just wipe the servers clear of our confidential and proprietary data.=/\= Gerald said kindly. =/\= See you soon. Holbridge out=/\=.

Tricia cut the transmission, a huge smile on her face. "Maxine, get me Admiral Wegener; I want to discuss him sponsoring my son's application to Starfleet Academy on Earth." Tricia ordered her secretary

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A Post By

Tricia Holbridge
ex-CEO, HMC
Out of Work Wife