“Be ready for tomorrow,” General Solmon said. “There are a lot of powerful people who like to stay in the shadows that have been giddy little schoolkids about tomorrow’s proceedings. I’ve managed to stave off some of it in America, but not all of it. This is their big chance to throw a serious wrench in your works. If they can get the UN to call for a stop of your activities in space, they think it will give them power over you.”
“They might be surprised,” Alex said, his eyes hardening.
“Of that, I have no doubt,” the general answered, giving Alex an even stare. “But think it through. If you follow the UN’s resolution, or if you ignore it, either way, they think they win.”
“How so?” Alex asked. He agreed with the general and suspected they shared the same reasons, but he wanted to hear what the man had to say.
“If you follow the resolution, then you are limited and controlled. If you don’t, and just give the finger to the rest of the world, then they make you the enemy.”
Alex signed, nodding. It was pretty much what he’d thought as well. “Those are my thoughts as well. So really, there’s only one way this can go, tomorrow.”
“Yep,” the general nodded. “You have to convince the panel that you’re not a threat, so they don’t make a resolution. It’s the only way, and it won’t be easy.”
Chapter 7
Time: August 3, 2030
Location: United Nations Building, NYC
Alex and Richard Williams arrived in the UN building without preamble, going through the security with little issue, though there was some question about Alex’s DPA which he had in a silver case. The security guards weren’t sure what it was, at first, but accepted the description of it being a projection device. Alex wasn’t lying since Aristotle was a projection device amongst many other things.
They were assigned an aide, who led them to the eighth floor and a comfortable if empty waiting room. Fifteen minutes later, they were summoned into the UN meeting room itself. Alex wasn’t sure what to expect, wondering if there would be a large audience and a seat in a spotlight before a set of raised desks, but he was disappointed. Instead, it looked like more of a normal meeting room, with a large oval table and a low-tech projector screen on one end.
No crowds, no cameras.
Inside were several people sitting at the table, with numerous other suited aides and advisers sitting behind them. The room was spacious enough, allowing the secondary personnel to sit along the wall without crowding those at the table. Alex took his seat, looking around the room at the varied men and women facing him. He’d been in enough high-powered business meetings over the years that he wasn’t intimidated, despite the high stakes riding on his actions here today. No matter what, he couldn’t screw up.
“Welcome, Doctor Drake,” A dark-skinned man said to his left said. Alex noted his accent was thick, but not difficult to understand. “My name is Kamal Derwish, the chairman of this panel and a representative from Yemen. Thank you for responding to our inquiry.” He paused, looking around the table for a moment before continuing. “Please note that we will be recording the proceeding if you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all. I was planning to record it as well.” Alex said, opening up his silver case and pulling out Aristotle. However, instead of letting it hover, he placed it on the table next to him. A moment later, a red light began to pulse on its side. Alex turned back to Kamal, smiling at the man. “If you don’t mind, that is. It’s important that I have records, of course.”
Kamal glanced at the machine, clearing his throat for a moment before answering. “Of course, Doctor Drake. Our own records will be open to you, but I understand your reluctance to accept only that precaution. Now, let me be clear on our statement of why you are here. There has been some concern with the… considerable asset you recently placed into orbit. As such, this panel was convened in order to assuage that, perhaps hysterical, concern.”
“Kamal, you are showing your bias,” a woman said from a few seats down. She raised one of her eyebrows as she spoke, reminding Alex of a severe school teacher. Her placard said she was Isabella Espinosa from Brazil.
Kamal nodded, waving his hand at the woman that looked like both an acknowledgment and a dismissal as if they’d had that conversation several times before. Probably more like an argument from the unfriendly way they glanced at each other. “We would like to ask you some questions regarding it, and your intentions for further expansion.”
“I understand,” Alex said, glancing around the table and noting none of the rest of the representatives seemed to be listening to an earbud. That told him that they all probably understood English. “We released a fairly detailed description of what we sent up, as well as what we intend to build, as well as the benefits it would offer to-”
“Doctor Drake,” broke in the Japanese representative. A gentleman by the name of Akihiko Fushima. “We understand the propaganda that you distributed, but you have to understand that it is propaganda and it would be a disservice to our governments to simply take it at face value. How are we to know this is the reality? We can see the ship and the much larger station that went up with it on our cameras. How are we to know what is in that station?”
Alex exchanged a look with his lawyer, frowning. “Just what is it you are asking for, Mr. Fushima?”
The Japanese man glanced to his left, seeming to catch the Chinese representatives eye before looking back to Alex. “I think I would like to suggest we send a UN inspection team to your station. Your flights, especially your shuttles, seem to take an almost daily trip to the station. Would it be difficult to include a team?”
Alex frowned. “You want to send your people onto our station? Mr. Fushima, you must understand that we are cautious of such an approach, especially after someone recently tried to shoot down that launch.”
“Perhaps they knew something we did not, Doctor Drake?” Mr. Fushima said, narrowing his eyes.
Before he could continue, the Russian representative slammed his meaty fist onto the table, his voice a low rumble. “Mr. Fushima. Don’t you think we should ask them some questions first, before trying to slip some spies onto their technological marvel? We should at least try to appear as if we are interested in their answers.”
“Agreed, Mr. Novogrod,” Said Kamal, glaring at the younger Japanese man even as he spoke to the Russian. “We should at least investigate first, before trying to punish them. There is not, or shouldn’t be, a crime against innovation and enterprise. Blind suspicion shouldn’t guide us.”
Mr. Fushima glared at Kamal. “Very well,” he said, turning back to Alex. “In your press release, you detailed expansions that would include areas you intend to rent out to other interests besides your own. How are we to know these interests may or may not use these areas for hostile intent?
Alex leveled his gaze on the Japanese man. “Because we have agreements and rules that would disallow such activities, Mr. Fushima, as well as the ability to enforce them. Despite not being a country, or under any countries oversight, we intend on complying with all laws established over near-earth space. Also, since there aren’t any laws that cover frequent travel to space, the same laws that govern international waters.”
“Do you have this in print, of any sort?” Mr. Ferrel asked.
Alex looked at the American representative, nodding. “Of course, and since we’ve already begun booking space, those rules have been widely distributed. Please don’t tell me all of you haven’t seen or read them, already? If not, I have several examples here for your perusal.” He gestured toward Richard, who stood and began handing paper files to the representatives.
“Well…yes, of course, we have,” Mr. Ferrel said, taking the file and laying it besides himself. However, Alex wondered if the man had actually read all of it. “I merely wanted to make sure you had some available. We would need it for our files in this proceeding. However, I’m afraid to say that these rules may not be sufficient to address the public’s concerns.�
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“You would be correct, Mr. Ferrel,” Alex said. “At least if we left them unaltered. The UN’s treaties and laws on space are woefully inadequate for a robust commercial presence. Truthfully, international water laws are only a bit better, so we’ve been forced to establish our own laws, above and beyond those that the rest of the world has been able to agree.”
“What!? You’ve made your own laws?” Mr. Fushima said, standing up from his chair in outrage. “Are you claiming dominion over space, now? What arrogance!” He turned toward the rest of the panel, his face a mask of anger. “This is exactly what we warned you about. This company is dangerous, playing with means far beyond themselves with no oversight. They need to be stopped!”
Alex looked around the table, examining each of the representatives and their reaction to the Japanese man’s outburst. The Brazilian and Chinese appeared to be equally outraged while Sheikh Rahal from Saudi Arabia held a hard glint in his eye.
The American and Yemeni both leaned back, watching carefully with unreadable expressions while Yuri Novogrod exploded upward, leveling his finger at Akihiko Fushima. “Listen here, you excitable kolkost. We are here to investigate and ask them questions, not level accusations without basis. Also, let’s not fool ourselves. Like any of us wouldn’t try to claim orbit if we were capable. Don’t be jealous because someone else has beaten us there.”
“Russian pragmatism,” Mr. Ferrel said quietly, glancing at the Russian out of the corner of his eye. “In this case, it is the note of reason. We are doing nothing but acting like hysterical children, throwing rocks on a playground,” he said, giving Mr. Fushima a hard glance. He was surprised when instead of backing down, it only made the Japanese man angrier.
Alex had remained seated, taking in the sudden outburst and subsequent yelling without expression, simply watching everyone. There was something inside of himself, telling him that this was a necessary step. That screaming and pain were part of any birth, and this was part of that. It wouldn’t be pretty, but he had to stay strong and stay the course.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Alex said calmly, interrupting the yelling and making everyone stare at him. “I understand your fear, but I think you should read through the rules that I’ve given each of you. There are certain answers in there that should help you understand our position. We have made rules, not to govern space, but to govern Empyrean and its place within it. Our rules would not govern any other facility that happened to be up there, only our own.”
Alex paused, turning his head toward Aristotle who had been sitting quietly on the table. “Aristotle, please show file orbital enrichment.”
To the astonishment of all, what they thought had been a simple recording device rose and hovered above the table and spoke. “Yes, sir.”
The representatives all stared at Aristotle, taken by surprise. Eventually, they turned their attention to the equally startling holographic files that were projected over the table. “What are we looking at?” Kamal Derwish finally asked, leaning forward and trying to make sense of the numbers and graphs.
“These, ladies and gentlemen, are the projections of resources that we hope to inject into the world economy,” Alex said, highlighting one of several graphs with a small, handheld device. “Here, you can see the progression as we expand first the orbital infrastructure, then expanding into production and resource processing from low-gravity environments. ”
“How confident are you of these numbers?” Yuri asked, squinting his eyes from under his thick eyebrows. “It seems to become quite significant very quickly.”
Alex nodded. “Fairly confident, though reality always makes the final rules. You will also note that this column includes third-party gains. These would the partners and other organizations that follow us into space or utilize our other facilities.”
“This is impossible,” Mr. Fushima blurted out. “We all know the costs of sending anything into orbit, and how much you are currently charging third parties per pound. They are more than reasonable compared to the world market, but not nearly enough to spur any but the richest companies to follow.”
“This is very true,” Sheikh Rahal said, raising an eyebrow. The man’s hawk-like nose gave his already stern look a more formidable appearance. It was clear to Alex that the Sheikh was not on his side. “putting small satellites into orbit is one thing, but the costs of personnel and equipment for even the most basic of industry would destroy most companies or even countries. It’s simply not worth it with current launch costs. Do you know something we do not?”
“Yes,” Alex said, gesturing toward the hologram and manipulating his fingers on it like a touchscreen. Amazingly, it worked exactly the same way, letting Alex pull up another file which he expanded for them to read. “This is our true cost to send poundage into orbit. I’m sure you’ve all been wondering why and how we sent something so massive into orbit, and here is the reason.”
They all leaned in, digesting the numbers. The chart showed a comparison for the various current generation launch vehicles that were available around the world. Most costs were in the six to eight hundred per pound range, but Empyrean showed a cost of five to seven dollars.
“My god, that’s less than airfreight,” Mr. Ferrel gasped. “How is that possible?”
Alex spread his hands. “Technology and innovation, Mr. Ferrel. I’m sure you understand why I can’t go into trade secrets, but rest assured, those are the real costs to us. We’ve purposefully kept our prices on a more competitive level with the other space-flight organizations around the planet so as to not put them out of business.”
“It sounds like greed was more your goal,” Mr. Fushima said.
“If we did nothing with the funds, then yes, that might be accurate,” Alex said, feeling his irritation rise once again at the aggressive question. “However, we re-invest those monies not only into building infrastructure for our company but improvements for many communities around the world. Many at little or no cost to them, depending on the situation.”
“And how much rent do you charge to them? Along with ownership of the land I would wager,” Mr. Fushima growled. “What kind of political power do you then wield in those same communities?”
“None and none, though we do enjoy a certain sense of gratitude,” Alex responded, giving the man a glare. “We provide the construction and establishment of schools, hospitals, community infrastructure, and many other buildings. We also establish sizeable training and maintenance budgets for those buildings for twenty five years. It is then given back to those communities in total.”
One or two of the representatives gasped and shook their heads until Alex called up a variety of files that showed exactly that happening. Empyrean’s name appeared only on the initial construction documents, but afterwards, the buildings and monies involved were completely owned by the various communities they had been donated to. It was an astoundingly generous donation that was designed to not only provide benefit, but build up and increase the self-value of those communities on a massive scale.
Alex watched as the conversation came to a close. Many of the representatives were glancing at the graph, clearly curious about the numbers and wanting to dig into the information. Some were also clearly disturbed about how many social and infrastructure projects Empyrean had completed throughout the third world.
Finally, Kamal cleared his throat and voiced what all of them were thinking. “Doctor Drake, I think we require some time to educate ourselves on this information that you are providing. If no one objects, I propose we reconvene in a week?” Most of the board nodded before Kamal turned back to Alex, waiting for his answer.
“I am at your convenience,” Alex said, unhappy that the issue was not going to be decided today but not surprised, either. He had expected he would have to educate them, and prepared for just the eventuality, but he didn’t have to like it. Standing, Alex and Richard retreated, leaving the representatives to their own devices.
Chapter 8
Time:
August 7, 2030
Location: Japanese Consulate Building, NYC
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,” Akihiko Fushima said, rising to shake each of his corresponding representative's hands as they came into the lavish meeting room. There were several bonsai trees set within a miniaturized landscape in the middle of the expansive table, and massive screens on the walls showed peaceful views looking out over serene landscapes.
The four other representatives barely paid attention, simply taking their seat and leaning back, their body languages saying they were here to listen, but not commit to whatever the Japanese had to say. Akihiko was fine with that. He would have been disappointed if any of them acted otherwise, knowing they were all powerbrokers of one degree or another.
Despite how many thought of the UN, it was still a place that required influence, high-level politics, and the ability to get things done. In this case, Akihiko’s job was to guide the panel against the very dangerous company of Empyrean. It had taken a lot of influence to be placed on the board, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass to hamstring the rogue company. Empyrean had scared the world with their massive launch, and they would pay the price for their arrogance.
“I take it you wish to discuss Empyrean?” John Ferrel, the American panel member, said. After he spoke, he lifted a glass of water to his lips but kept his cool gray eyes on the Japanese man.
“Of course,” Akihiko said, nodding slowly. “There is no greater threat to all of us. We need to put a stop to them.”
Isabella Espinosa from Brazil frowned. She was known to be hard, and rarely let an opportunity pass that might point out a weakness. “I hardly think they are our greatest threat. We are more concerned with them making surrounding weak countries more powerful with these education and building initiatives, therefore more of a threat to us. As far as space goes or them making rules to govern themselves, why is that your focus?”
Empyrean Rises Page 13
