The Providence of Fortune: Fate

By T. K. Love

This is a novella centered around the journey of Conrad Jefferson who is a instilled with one vision to see Palladium Station open as a tribute to his father's vision. Plans change when his life long business partner Augustus feels that Palladium Station would benefit in the long run with an alliance with Helios, the moon station, and New America, the underwater city, rather than deal with the capricious demands of an ever changing society. Join Conrad Jefferson and his struggles with relationships, success and pain in an emergent space fairing society on a futuristic Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543455892

T. K. Love

to be followed but please put www.tklovewrites.com at the end

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The Providence of

Fortune

Fate

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T. K. Love

Copyright © 2017 by T. K. Love

Library of Congress Control Number:     2017915266

ISBN:              Hardcover                978-1-5434-5591-5

                         Softcover                  978-1-5434-5590-8

                         eBook                       978-1-5434-5589-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/28/2017

Xlibris

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Table of Contents

Part I:   The Stars

Chapter 1   Changes

Chapter 2   Problems

Chapter 3   Risk

Chapter 4   Fire

Part II:   The Wheel

Chapter 1   Peace

Chapter 2   Turn

Chapter 3   Jealousy

Chapter 4   Who’s There?

Chapter 5   The Call

Part III:   The Hand

Chapter 1   Embark Space Travels

Chapter 2   Decisions

Chapter 3   The Party

Chapter 4   Games

Chapter 5   Jackpot

Chapter 6   A New World

Chapter 7   A Momentous Occasion

Chapter 8   Do You Really Want to Know?

Chapter 9   Fate

Fate is a Door that Swings Both Ways

Part I

The Stars

CHAPTER 1

Changes

I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I am hearing, Conrad said, shaking his head in disbelief. What do you mean slow down and re-collaborate with someone else? he demanded, We are already invested. We need to move forward with the plan. Over the past thirty years, we have constructed the Palladium to bring it to this moment. This was to be Embark Interplanetary’s crowning achievement. We open in space in another year, and now you want to scrap everything and start a re-collaboration with someone else?

The meeting was not going as planned. Conrad Jefferson and Augustus Blackwell, his business partner, seemed to be butting heads more often lately. Augustus was much older, and more experienced. Conrad felt he always added a sense of vitality and brashness to the company. The queasy feeling in his gut alerted him that for the first time since this project started he was going to lose control. Small beads of sweat pooled at his finger tips, and he felt a little colder. The office held Augustus’s spacious desk, over-sized black leather swivel chair, and a book case. Like all the partners, Augustus had a corner office. Conrad looked out of the window. Ah, November. the gray sky seemed to go on forever framing the bleak Los Angeles skyline. On the back wall, August had black and white photos that were taken in space of every ship Embark Interplanetary built. He knew those photos. They were the same ones, but on a larger scale, in the lobby and library. He did not want to hear about what would probably be the end of his involvement with the Palladium. He had seen it before in this business some projects just disappeared.

The project was to build a space station that for most starfarers would be a temporary journey in to the stars. It was to be an unbridled spectacular non-stop show. There had been a big push for settlement on the moon. The settlement had only a few thousand inhabitants and expansion was slow. This was different. The Palladium Station Project was a way for the entertainment industry to reach thousands and thousands of would be star gazers. Space was currently the most lucrative investment on the planet. Conrad spent a lot of time finding investors and keeping them interested in Embark Interplanetary. There were a lot of promises he wanted to keep.

Augustus’s office was always proficient and succinct, there was never anything personal about it. Even in his family photo everyone seemed to stand at attention. Conrad’s office, in contrast, was always cluttered. His golf clubs always at the ready for moments like these.

Conrad, I know how you’re feeling right now, Augustus said. Your father Benjamin Jefferson struck gold when he decided to construct the Palladium, but now things are changing. I think we should consider the proposals from New America and Helios. You can’t market hype into a business plan for ten years. All I am saying is that in five years, you don’t really know what you will be dealing with. Hey, you’re on edge right now. Give it a moment to sink in. There are some people I want you to meet. Augustus handed Conrad a tablet.

It displayed two pictures, one was of Dr. Walter Keagan, and the other was of Dr. Sabrina Dubois. Conrad tapped a picture and slowly started to slowly review each of the files.

A collaborative effort at this juncture would be more stable, Augustus said. There is no reason why we cannot do both—It’s continuing with business as we have always done it. I know you Conrad, you don’t like cold water. Look, changing directions is not such a bad idea. Agricultural would be a better use at this junction for the market that’s already there. That’s all I am saying. The demand is right there now. I am thinking about the future of this company. This upcoming launch party should smooth things along. Augustus leaned back into his chair. He was a heavy set, sixty-something-year-old man with a lot of charisma. Augustus looked as though he practiced his speech before hand including the you know you are like my son look in his eyes. Go. Talk to them. Hear what everyone has to say.

For the first time in their business relationship, Conrad felt everything about their relationship shift. We need to push for the entertainment group—look at this point, I am just unwilling to compromise. We have already invested millions into getting interest, and preparing to operate. We need to have this done already, there is no changing directions. Conrad felt caught off guard and edgy. He was losing support and ground.

Conrad, Augustus is right, said Balan for the first time since the meeting began. Balan Hill one of the company’s attorneys. He was a tall wiry older man about the same age as Augustus. We need to stay in touch with our traditional customers. Building a steady customer base may take more time than you think.

Most