Duke Archibald Barnabus Raxximillion, the First of his Name, reflected on his new lifestyle in this far-off, foreign land. Granted, some people considered it 'Playing a Game', but what a game it was! He had servants, a mansion that rivalled any of his other houses, and a world to command. Sometimes it paralleled his satisfaction of being the CEO of Raxxon Power and Fuel in the real world. And at other times, such as viewing his new flagship with the Raxxon name painted in massive letters on its mile-long hull, it exceeded anything that the real world had to offer.

  And it didn't hurt that he felt like a man of thirty years, not ninety. He loved the slightly medieval, slightly futuristic style of the clothing and the thrill of wearing a glorious fur cloak as he strode about his new domain. No matter how much you paid people, you couldn't get this feeling in the real world. The food was also amazing. He ate like a king...no, like a Duke! There were no kings in this game, only the Tyrant who ruled most of the galaxy and his loyal Dukes. Hell, he'd have paid millions just for the clothes and the food. Getting Raxxon to fork over a full billion for a planet was a steal. Mars came with a few strings attached, but it was the most powerful planet that a player could command. Technically, the head of the shipyards, Wayland Smith, answered to him. In practice, the massive industrial factories were autonomous. That actually turned out to be something he didn't mind. It would have been an amazing amount of work to manage it all. Far better to let some computer-driven NPC handle it.

  It had taken very little to convince the Raxxon board to invest heavily into the newest VR game: Star Command Six: The Stars at War. Holding 43% of the voting stock meant he was in the driver's seat and only had to keep a few people happy. Many of the board members owned only 1% of the voting stock, and as long as their dividend checks came on time, they didn't care what happened. He had another 6% of the votes in his pocket as dedicated proxies, and while his second cousin, Edward, might be a pain in the ass at times, he could always count on his 5% of the votes to back him up. In the vote to buy into SC6, Edward had been an enthusiastic ally. An avid gamer, Edward had been excited beyond belief to be able to buy real estate in the new game using the company's money. Also, about the prospects of owning a piece of it himself and getting his own ship. Currently, he amused himself by running a casino on one of Mar's moons, which he had used most of his inheritance to purchase.

  As if summoned, his cousin appeared nearby. "Daydreaming about taking that beauty out for a spin? Very impressive, cousin." Behind him were his two bodyguards and several cronies who always seemed to follow behind him, and someone who was actually useful, the Raxxon head of security for Mars, a man who never looked happy.

  "Eddie, please, appearances matter, even in front of your little entourage. I would appreciate it greatly if you would use my full title."

  "Well then, Duke Archie the bald Barnabus Raxximillion the first, I think you should use mine. I gave up being Eddie Munchoushen, even changed my legal name to match my game name. If I have to use yours, then you need to address me as Count Edward Vormunchousen, first lord of Phobos. Or Captain, I actually like that better, but I need a ship first. How long until this overstuffed tub of yours is done and we start on mine?"

  "I've told you, it will be done when it's done. Which is...hmm, when, Mr. Borkavich? I think you have the exact schedule."

  Mr. Borkavich was a security specialist who had done work for Raxxon before, designing some of their surveillance systems. Raxxon liked to be able to see what all of their employees were doing at all times. Archibald had been delighted when he applied for the online position, running all the security systems on Mars. Security experts were notoriously hard to find, the stress driving many to early retirement. Borkavich seemed to thrive on stress, and if he didn't have problems to solve, he made new ones. And never asked for more money.

  "Yessir. I do. We had delays when we amended the plans to add the zero-G swimming pool and expand the 'Cargo Storage' near the auxiliary defensive systems. But those projects are finished, the bars and movie theatre are up and running, and we have fully stocked everything, including two hundred units of 'Cargo.' Technically, the ship is ready to fly."

  "Any problems with the engines and fusion generators? I still have some people worried about them. I've seen the footage of what happens when a ship explodes. We can't afford to have that happen anywhere in the system."

  "No, sir, absolutely not! The Tyrant would have us all flogged and our bank accounts frozen. The system may look odd, but only for someone who is used to playing on the small ships of the original SC6. This ship uses a tried and tested configuration of six fusion drives set up as three separate double fusion drives. A Triple-Double, as they used to call them on the servers using the Expanded Warfare and Capital Ships modpacks. Your engineers found someone who had access to a private server still running those packs and allowed them in to observe the setup of the engines and fusion drives."

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  Eddie was immediately excited, as only a 17-year-old gaming addict can be. "A private server? How do I get in? I need to see this."

  Borkavich took a step back, as if that much enthusiasm might be contagious. "You don't. The legal wrangling took a month, more NDA's than the lawyers had ever seen in one stack, and a sum of money that I cannot disclose. We got what we needed and left. Raxxon now has the plans for seventeen different ship designs for you to look through, from the one-man Mosquito class scout to the Behemoth Class Mega Warship. Wayland Smith was delighted to receive them and is anxious to construct more of them."

  Eddie pointed to the huge ship sitting in its launch cradle, a mile away. "Behemoth Class Warship? Like that one."

  Mr. Borkavich looked nervous for a moment, "Oh no, please don't confuse the new flagship of the Raxxon fleet with a Warship. The new ship is for peaceful trade missions, with expanded cargo space, entertainment sections for entertaining diplomatic guests, and only a few defensive weapons to ward off pirates. Certainly not a warship."

  "Fine, fine, when is this pleasure palace full of missile launchers going to be done so we can start on my ship?"

  "That's what I came to talk to the Duke about. We need to update our security on the ship. I've been running scenarios, and I'm worried about two things: Mutiny and Piracy."

  Both 'nobles' turned and looked at him, then looked at the large ship. The Duke almost sneered. "Really? We have hand-picked crews, screened by Raxxon HR both here and in the real world. As for piracy, well, I'd welcome a chance to test out the guns."

  Borkavich seemed unaffected, used to sneers, snarks, and tantrums from his clients. "And what if you don't control the guns? Or the fusion drives? Or can't control what happens in the crew compartments. We installed far better security arrangements in all of Raxxon's refineries and manufactorums, where we don't have to worry about pirates, only eco-terrorists. Why not on your ships?"

  At the word 'eco-terrorist,' both men sucked in their breaths. Only a month ago, three of Raxxon's refineries had been shut down from mysterious explosions. While investigating the crimes, the authorities had found hundreds of violations so bad that they couldn't be swept away with any amount of bribes. It was estimated that the company would lose 13.7 billion dollars in needed upgrades and 20.5 billion dollars settling lawsuits from the people downwind of those refineries.

  "What do you want to do?"

  Borkavich scrolled on his datapad to a list. "Automate every door so we can control the movement of the crew. Surveillance in every compartment, including sleeping rooms, but we'll keep that to ourselves. Controls for the drives, shields, weapons, surveillance, and doors will be routed through the bridge and the Captain's Lounge. In the event that someone tries to shut down an engine, open a cargo hatch, or even mutiny by the full crew, the Captain can lock things down and be in full control of his ship."

  The Duke hadn't considered mutiny, but liked the ability to be in total control. "I like it. Let's set it up. How long?"

  "Three days, I've been working on it all week, as I knew you'd want it."

  Eddie said, "I'll want that on my ship as well. The Captain should always be in command."

  Borkavich nodded, "Of course, it's only right. A Captain is unto a god on his ship. It was that way in the 1800s, and it needs to be that way now. Raxxon can do far worse than to emulate the practices of the English Navy and East India Company. We expand and conquer, backed by the guns of our peaceful trading ships."

  The Duke grinned, a fan of that part of history as well. "Well then, let's get it done, and we'll host the launch in four days with a grand party."

  The Count was also smiling, "And then we start on my ship, as agreed, your excellency?"

  The Duke sighed, might as well get it done and ship the twit off somewhere. "Agreed. But if you want a capital ship, you're looking at a year. We need to establish more mining operations to refill the warehouses. We used up all of our resources building the flagship."

  "Well, luckily for all of us, I don't want a tub like that. I'll settle for a Barbary Coast Raider. Only about four times as big as the standard SC6 ship with a crew of ten. Perfect for some raiding and trading."

  Borkavich did some calculations. "At our current rate of replenishment for resources, that should take only four weeks. We can lay the keel the day after the christening of the new ship. Oh, and we still need a name, sir."

  Archibald had been thinking about that for some time. "Let's go with something simple and unpretentious. I like Star Conqueror."

  "A good choice, sir, I'll have it painted just under the Raxxon logo in gold paint, and start the plans for the christening party."