"It is my dying wish, my beloved havenworlder friend. Take my fortune, for I have so many centuries, and hand out to each person in need one decade each, until the fortune is fully distributed." And with those last words, recorded for posterity, the elderly individual died, peacefully. -- Anon Guest
What does one do with a massive fortune? Centuries of Time, and now the earner of such had declared it a charity fund. For anyone in need. For everyone in need.
Companion Dov let the lawyers have their way with all the records. She was, after all, sensible about these things. One didn't get to be a Human's Companion without being sensible about everything, including Human insanity.
Eventually, it all cleared, and Human Steve's incredible fortune was allowed out into the greater good. It was, like everything else Human, going to cause trouble.
Especially anywhere near Deregger space.
That was probably the point.
With help from the CRC, Companion Dov quickly found a plethora of the needy. Those without support. Those who were, currently, without much in the way of hope.
Just like the Alliance in earlier years, Deregger space also had its Edge territories. Places where one could regularly find a hive of scum and villainy in the branches of trade and commerce.
It was surprisingly organised, as revolutions went. Dov funded a Gyiik temple to feed the hungry, then a bustle of JOATs who would be inclined to fix things before they were reported as broken[1]. Following that came an "accidental" spill of Skitties and Cleaners. And then... a ridiculous little lottery.
It was a master work of subterfuge. Buy a ticket for a ludicrously small price, and then "win" a Decade of Time if your name was on Dov's list.
Many people could buy an entirely new life with a Decade. A life free, for instance, from Deregger space.
There was only one problem. Human Steve's initial fortune could not be spent in its entirety. There was always more Time coming in from his holdings. There were always rewards coming in from the CRC. There were rewards coming in from other organisations that recognised beneficial efforts for cogniscents everywhere.
Sometimes, the Time flowed in faster than it could flow out, and Companion Dov was obligated to follow Human Steve's wishes until the terms were met... or she died in the effort.
As time and Time flowed by... she started to believe the latter would happen first.
[1] Sometimes even before they were actually broken. Many JOATs learn by messing around and then discovering why they should not.
[Photo by Ilya Chunin on Unsplash]
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