Chapter 9 - THE MORNING STAR SAILS AGAIN
It took two years.
Not two weeks.
Not one magical montage.
Two years of welding, fundraising, patent licensing, legal work, engineering, and more failures than Eliza could count.
Professor Bell led the technical team.
Clara Finch returned to research slowly.
Eliza managed operations.
That surprised everyone.
She had no formal education beyond fourteen.
But factory work had taught her scheduling.
Poverty had taught her cost.
The ship taught her negotiation.
She became good.
Very good.
The Vale storage system never transformed the world exactly as Ambrose imagined.
Some ideas were inefficient.
Some unsafe.
Some brilliant.
Several patents became profitable in emergency lighting and mining safety.
Enough.
More than enough.
Eliza’s ten-percent finder interest eventually made her wealthy.
Not billionaire wealthy.
Free wealthy.
House paid.
Food secure.
No landlord.
No factory supervisor deciding whether she ate next month.
The Morning Star was restored as a research and maritime training vessel.
Not luxury yacht.
Working ship.
On the day it sailed again, the same auctioneer who sold it stood on the dock.
Harlan Pike looked embarrassed.
“I may have underestimated the lot.”
Eliza smiled.
“By a little.”
“How much is she worth now?”
Eliza looked at the ship.
“Depends what you mean.”
He laughed.
“Money.”
She thought.
May you like
Then said:
“More than seventy-five dollars.”
