“They feel they are the legitimate successors to the previous administration,” Crabeth replied, “and that is the extent of the change, not a new nation. New nations customarily acquire the assets and liabilities of the state they displaced. Their survival is even more in question and contingent on you fulfilling your contract since the Sandman has not launched in the optimum window to arrive with supplies and remove more personnel.”
“I’m curious why they hired you by text when my com code is public,” Heather said. “They dealt with me by an official spox before but could have contacted me directly. This feels like a public relations gimmick. A setup. You wouldn’t try to make me look bad in public if you have any other handle. I assume that’s why you didn’t call first either. It would have been private.” She thought about that and looked even more unhappy with Crabeth.
Behind Crabeth, a couple looked at each other alarmed and silently nodded. They got up and left. That left one other petitioner who jumped up and hurried to follow them.
“I’m told their previous spox is deceased and they are unable to send another, leaving them with no Earth representative. They have no idea when they will be able to send another with the idling of the Sandman.”
Heather looked outright amused.
“Mr. Crabeth, there are several levels of misinformation and error here. Your client has lied to you outright at least once, and hidden other vital information from you. I assume you are an attorney although you haven’t made that claim. I’m sure you’ve had clients before who were not entirely candid with you?”
“I’m approved to appear before the highest European court. I didn’t mention that because I thought it might sound as if I thought it meant something here. I’m aware that isn’t true. I don’t know of any attorney who hasn’t had a client lie to them. Often to the detriment of their case.”
“I’ll tell you the reality of the matter, and you are welcome to use the sort of veracity software on my statements that Earth courts are so fond of outlawing as unreliable. In the case of the Martians, I’m no stranger to the chaos of revolution. I know what they went through. You may assume there was no exit interview with the previous government in which they explained verbal agreements and handed over files in an orderly fashion. Rather they died in a hail of gunfire or explosions, and their more sensitive documents were encrypted beyond recovery or destroyed. Wiping the archives when the opposition is breaking down the door is an honored tradition.
“The current regime on Mars is mistaken. The spox for the previous government is not dead. He escaped and took the entire fund of his Martian government with him when he absconded. If you were assigned to discover and recover those monies as a condition of being paid, things are looking very bad for you.”
For the first time, Crabeth looked uncomfortable.
“The Martian government obviously has agents on Earth they could have designated as spox, though the skill set of assassins might not apply well. Of course, if they discovered those assassins failed, or if they were also charged with recovering the Martian banking accounts, they may well be as out of favor as DeWalt, the former spox. However, unless they have a second or third layer of agents on Earth, they have no way to act against those failed agents.
“Part of our unwritten understanding with the previous Martian government was to keep a secret of theirs. Since that government is gone, I am not bound by that. I’ll gift you with what your client is hiding. The entire purpose of the Martian state now is to hide the fact they have the wreck of an alien starship. They have so little faith in their fellow man that they imagine there will be panic and chaos if humanity finds that out. They are a cult, dedicated to keeping that from the rest of us. Now that you know, be aware they are willing to kill to keep that secret. You have madmen as clients, and now you are at risk too.”
Crabeth stood silent, a look of intense concentration on his face. A lesser man might have asked time to withdraw and analyze the situation. He was used to thinking on his feet quickly.
“If they have such an advanced object, it would be a source of unimaginable wealth. Why do they not capitalize upon the technology? They could then buy any supplies and transportation they need in abundance.”
“Because, they have been examining the wreck systematically and all they have found they understood was a somewhat better design for a linear electric motor. Of the two artifacts they traded to us, one is a novel air circulator whose only real advantage is being quieter than ours. The other is a device that is useless because at least half of the system was destroyed in the crash. If they want, I’d be happy to send the damn things back to them to nullify any obligation they imagine we still owe. We haven’t done any destructive testing on them and they can have them back in their original pristine condition.”
“You are correct that I was charged with finding out what happened to their funds,” Crabeth said. “Since you invite me to examine your truthfulness electronically, let me ask you a question. If you don’t wish to answer that is your prerogative. If you do want to answer, it allows you to establish your innocence in this affair. Has your government taken advantage of this situation to gain access to those funds? You inform me their spox is alive. Have you sheltered him as a reward for looting their treasury?”
“But it would look suspicious if I refused to answer, wouldn’t it? You are still playing games with me, sir,” Heather accused. She thought as carefully as he had to frame a reply.
“Mr. DeWalt had the kindness to warn me there was a change of regime when he found himself in fear at the change. I appreciated that warning since it saved me from putting our crews at risk landing on Mars.
“We did not reward him for that, or get any other payment from him. Just that warning. We are not in receipt of any funds from him and don’t anticipate any such transaction in the future.
“Indeed I told him bluntly his previous association with his deposed government leaves me distrusting him. We will act neutrally with him, not seeking his harm, but I would never allow him in my kingdom unless I see that he has rehabilitated himself from those unsavory associations. He is simply no official concern of ours.”
Crabeth looked through Heather, blinking a couple of times, undoubtedly consulting his veracity software the expensive spex could run as a stand-alone program.
“Your statements are of the highest measurable level of belief,” Crabeth conceded, “but they say you know more about it than you stated.”
“You may always assume I know a great deal more about a subject than I stated,” Heather replied. “We maintain extensive and parallel intelligence systems that, if smaller than those of the great Earth powers, are much more efficient. I would not waste our day detailing everything I know that is not directly relevant. For example, I do not know the timing of Mr. DeWalt's disappearance from Europe, but I am aware he was hiding in a resort in Tahiti when agents of the Martian government blew his resort cottage up and thought they had eliminated him. I do not know where his funds were before or after that. I haven’t tried to find out because we have no designs on them. I have no idea where he is at the moment, and no interest in finding out.”
Crabeth nodded. “I’ll make your offer of restoration to the Martians. Also my firm conviction you are not in control of their funds keeping the Sandman from launching. May I ask you to seal this hearing in your record to preserve my client’s secrets whether you think their reasons valid or not, and charge your subjects with keeping the same secret?”
“You insist on a public hearing and them ask it to be kept sealed? You have more nerve than me,” Heather said. “I dislike devious skulking about and pointless mystery. I won’t change how I keep my archives. I’m starting to understand that such secrets are pointless anyway. Things we kept carefully secret, the public doesn’t believe when they are revealed. I might as well say flying saucers are piloted by the Loch Ness monster and expect I will be believed.”
“Well, at least the other petitioners…” he started to say,
cutting that off when he looked over his shoulder at the empty benches. They could all see the realization hit him that he was the only inconvenient witness to everything that they’d said and Heather was seriously peeved with him.
“My Lady, may I have a word with Mr. Crabeth?” Jeff spoke up.
“Speak away if he’s willing. It gives me a break,” Heather said.
Crabeth nodded his acceptance too.
“With all these agents running about gathering facts that are ill understood, the Martians may have been informed I recently had a rather large payment for a real estate deal. Just in case they thought that was a sham deal to cover the transfer of the Martian funds, it was not. I made no effort to hide it or publicize it.
“I am interested however in how short the Martians find themselves of funds to cover the launch expenses for the Sandman. Given I have an unusual sum of cash sitting at risk of devaluation, I’d consider covering those expenses in return for some concessions. That would take the pressure off everyone involved. Did they tell you what you needed to recover to meet that pressing need?”
“They intimated they were short about a billion euromarks,” Crabeth said, amused at Jeff’s naivete. “I’m sorry,” he added, though he didn’t say for what.
“The euromarks have been running a bit over two to one against the Australian dollar,” Jeff said. “When you make my sovereign’s offer to restore their artifacts, tell them I am willing to pay them five hundred million Australian dollars for a land grant in their northern hemisphere equal to what the previous government ceded to my Lady, and an easement to allow passage from her territory to mine.”
“You feel they can legitimately convey title?” Crabeth asked, surprised.
“What’s more important is that other governments seem willing to acknowledge their sovereignty over the planet,” Jeff said. “Once I have a valid title my claim is superior. I have the armed ability to hold the property. The Martians are occupying it at the forbearance of the other nations. I suspect they all see it as a money pit offering no returns for ownership. Yet if I just took it, I suspect everyone would be eager to remove me. I’d much rather buy real estate with all this fiat currency than find other ways to convert it to stable assets.”
“You have that in liquid funds if they accept?” Crabeth asked. His distrust was just insulting.
“I have that in my private accounts,” Jeff assured him, a little offended at being questioned. “I can beam it off my pad to yours if you have the authority to receive it as the Martian’s rep. I’m sure it will clear without delay because we own the bank.”
“They did not give me that authority, nor indicate they expected me to recover their funds if we found you had them,” Crabeth hastened to add.
Heather gave a little horse snort of derision. “And if I’d said yes, I took your money. Exactly what did they intend to do about it? Or did they even think that far ahead? Have they noticed there is no interplanetary court to whom they could appeal?”
“Your point is well taken and I will note it in my report,” Crabeth promised.
“Since you stepped forward to stand on the carpet before my justice, I’ll make a closing statement for the record,” Heather said. “It was ascertained that the matter was not subject to my sovereignty to dispose of by decree, and it was discussed as a matter between peers, though left largely unresolved for the time being.
“Does that satisfy you?” she asked Crabeth.
“That seems accurate,” he agreed.
“We’re done then,” Heather said dismissing him.
Jeff suddenly realized Heather hadn’t spoken in her sovereign voice. It made sense.
“Just out of curiosity, what do you intend to do with it if they sell?” Heather asked Jeff.
“Right now, open it up to tourists and let them roam around in a rover and sight-see. That will frost the Martians’ cookies but that’s too bad. I’ll let Dave finally build a modern ship to do the Mars run for tourists, and sell the trip and stay as a package. Eventually, maybe I’ll sell lots just like you do at Central. I have to figure out where the most spectacular scenery is to know where to build a hotel or two. What do you intend to do with the south side?”
“If you create reliable transportation you can develop a couple of tourist sites on my end,” Heather said. “You can sell a tour of the planet with stops at four or five locations. I’m not sure I want to sell any of it. My experience with Central is that once you have residents it gets complicated and eats up your time. I think I have enough of that here. I’m content just to hold it as speculation The real estate paradigm that they aren’t making new land applies to planets too.
“I’ll think about that,” Jeff said. “I just unloaded one property with difficult tenants.”
Chapter 19
When the crew of the Hringhorni came in, they saw their employers were still upset over something and were concerned. They were assured it didn’t have to do with them and were told an abbreviated version of events, listening intently. April had a sudden insight watching how they responded to Heather. They felt respected to have the story shared with them. It wasn’t a damaging familiarity, it was a bonding event with their sovereign that built trust. April resolved to share that later.
That unexpected discussion ran them up against lunch. They shared a lighter conversation with the meal. When nobody went back for thirds Heather indicated she was ready to hear the report of their last star voyage.
“It was so exciting and so frustrating!” Deloris said. “We found a world with plant life. You can see trees from orbit. Not forests like we think of them but oases. There aren’t large oceans and not that many lakes. But there are salt flats and lakes.
“We need to go back with the Dionysus’ Chariot. There is no way we can wait until you build an explorer that carries landers. About the lakes, they are different colors too. Bright yellow or orange or green. Even a few blue, but a brilliant opaque blue.”
“Algae or bacteria,” Jeff hypothesized. “Well, their local analogs.”
“That’s what we thought. It will keep some people busy for years just cataloging them.”
“Have you named this planet?” Heather wondered.
“We all agreed to wait until we land and see it from the surface,” Deloris said.
“I didn’t follow the planning for this cruise,” April admitted. “How far out was this?”
“The furthest yet, three hundred light-years,” Deloris said. “It took two weeks, and we passed through some systems without even cataloging any but the biggest gas giants. There was a cluster of stars there we were aiming for and we didn’t get to survey any of them since we found this system and concentrated on it. There are three inner planets the second of which is a pair, and the third a hot world near as bad as Venus and four outer planets all rather boring and distant with no spectacular rings, but lots of little moons.”
“Is the air of the planet breathable?” Jeff asked.
“We’re pretty sure it is,” Alice said. “We need to get better samples, but it has oxygen. The partial pressure is estimated at a range of higher altitudes to approximate Earth normal. The question will be minor ingredients and if any of the biological traces are allergens or toxic.”
“Or infectious,” Barak warned.
“Congratulations, you are all rich now. You have shares in whatever wealth is generated from the entire system. If it is habitable that will be especially rich,” Jeff predicted.
“If it is, can we claim land, not just money?” Deloris asked. “We talked percentages before but never specifics. We need to sit and detail all that out.”
“Of course, as long as there are no natives,” Heather said.
“There weren’t any roads or buildings,” Alice said. “We surveyed a few areas with trees in two-hundred millimeter-resolution. I bet that would even pick up a game trail. We didn’t see any big animals or herds. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
“Probably not,” Heather
agreed. “But it’s the kind of thing we are going to have to think about. Trust us to treat you well. Up until now, we haven’t been sure there was anything to share besides mining rights. Now that we know there will be more, we have a real-life example to start building on. I’ll predict right now we can try to formulate all the benefits we can imagine and after we discover three or four more decent systems our initial rules won’t fit and will leave somebody unhappy. Let us agree to stay reasonable and ready to change our agreements to fit what we find in each system. We want you happy and out there discovering more. There are enough stars we don’t need to be stingy or greedy. Don’t forget, we aren’t asking you to fund any development. That’s all on us, and how do you prioritize things developing a whole world? It’s going to be interesting finding out.”
“You have to have learned a little something developing Central,” Barak said.
“I did, but I’ll go ahead and try it with planets anyway,” Heather quipped.
“The Earthies have a drive and are already trying to improve it. Eventually, they will be out there, competing with us. We can learn from their mistakes instead of just our own,” Jeff said.
“They have enough people and a vast enough economy to do it on a franchise basis,” April predicted. “They will let out bids for people to build cities and spaceports and just take fees.”
“I knew having you study economics would pay off,” Jeff said.
“Prediction,” Alice said raising a hand. “If they find some marginal worlds, they will use them to get rid of trouble makers and malcontents. Just like England used Australia. They will take Earth law and try to make it fit a new planet.”
“I can see it,” Deloris said. “We need to study colonial history and the exploitation of their resources and how it affected the mother country and their eventual rebellion and separation.”
A12 Who Can Own the Stars? Page 28
