“You now have one minute to complete your personal needs,” the annoying face on the screen relayed with a smile. “Seriously, can I please have some …” Before Kadamba could finish his request, a blast of water hit him squarely where he needed to be cleaned. “Thanks. I guess. I didn’t realize it would do that.” Kadamba slid to the …

He looked at the screen again, and the woman repeated what she had just stated, “Kadamba Vorhoor, your processing will begin in a few moments.” The face appeared frozen for a few moments, and then cheerfully began again. “As a first-time client of the Purostinov Justice Processing Center, I will gladly walk you through the initial steps of your first …

A few miles away, and a few stories underground, Kadamba began to regain consciousness. His head throbbed, and his chest ached from the justice enforcement officer’s energy blast. As he sat up and looked around, he realized that he was in a small chamber. Actually, it was more of a box that was about four feet tall and four feet …

A member of the Donovackia Corporate military stepped through the door, completely decked out in battle gear. His body was covered with a dark armor that shimmered and reflected light in multiple directions. His battle helmet completely covered his head and face. When he stepped into the room, everyone drew back in shock. “WHAT IS THIS OUTRAGE?” demanded Greylorent, in …

Tomar’s face continued to display what appeared to be respect, but inside he was almost giddy with excitement. He was watching this pompous, arrogant buffoon swell himself up even further than expected. Tomar practically wanted to dance but remained deferent to the older board member as he continued to pontificate. “As we all know,” proclaimed Greylorent, “our Chairman has adeptly …

“A few hundred years after the Exorthium Colonial Wars, the Ministry granted the Eleven Corporations the licenses to explore space and control the portals. The number eleven has no significance in any religion, business text, or any other place other than we have always had eleven Corporations. We’ve blindly assumed that eleven is the perfect number – that some balance …

“As would be expected of someone of my status and capabilities, I did not just take over this corporation to milk the existing profits of our two open portals. I am here to lead this Corporation to a bigger and brighter future, with an absolute dedication to the creation of ever bigger and brighter profits.” A few of the board …

However, after an initial show of military might, most planets simply began shipping whatever the Corporation wanted to the portal. Moving product through efficiently and the occasional demonstration of force were often all that was required to reap enormous profits.  One of the biggest challenges was getting the timing right. If a Corporation invaded too early, then a planet’s power …

Even though a portal opening was circular and only four feet in diameter, it required enormous amounts of energy to operate, and corporations from both Koranth and Zoranth staked out claims on Exorthium. Massive resources poured into transporting portals, power stations, and mining equipment to the new planet. As is human nature, conflicts eventually arose, and wars began. This period …

Tomar Donovackia burst into the corporate boardroom a few minutes after lunch had been served. About a dozen well-dressed individuals sat around the long, elegant table. Half of the board members had food in their mouths, as Tomar began to speak. He timed this quite purposefully. The board’s approval technically was required for significant undertakings, and he intended for them …