A12 Who Can Own the Stars?

by Mackey Chandler

  “We need it all,” Jeff said. “Economics and history, and wisdom to know what repeats and what is just similar, because it is never exactly the same. It’s all intertwined. Every time growth and crash and expansion and war happened it was similar in the human motivations driving it, but slightly different in the technology used.”

  “And under different political philosophies,” Deloris reminded them.

  Heather sighed. “We never have enough specialized people. I never thought I’d be thinking of hiring historians.”

  “Hire somebody who is a fab programmer or a doctor but a history nut on the side. Once they know you have any interest in it, they will do their hobby on the side for you and never even think of it as a second job,” Alice said. “The only problem is getting them to shut up about it. I had an uncle who was an accountant but lived and breathed everything about the First Atomic War. Did you know they made ships of concrete when they didn’t have enough steel? Uncle Ben could name them all,” she remembered with obvious horror.

  “We’re going to need a geologist pretty quickly if we do landings,” Jeff said.

  “It’s worse than that. We don’t know enough to know what we need. We need to know how many of each specialty we need and some idea of how long and the order in which they will work. Does that exist as a specialty on its own?” Deloris asked.

  “Yes, I ran into that studying banking,” April said. “any of those mega-projects like they do on Earth, a dam or airport or refinery, all have a project planner and a staff under him. They plan out everything from how many hours of survey work will be required on the bare land right up through every step until construction security hands over the keys and passwords to the new owners and walks away.”

  “You’d have to be a tremendous generalist,” Jeff said with awe in his voice. “You’d have to know a little something about every specialty you were going to hire.”

  “Only the good ones I suspect,” April said. “I’d say it’s important to hire one with lots of experience. It would be worth the money. He will have learned all the hard stuff they never cover in school making mistakes on other people’s projects.”

  “We saw Sajit Gupta in the cafeteria on Home,” Jeff said. “He’s staying in a hotel while he furnishes his new place on Beta. You might ask him to recommend a planner. I understand he does those sorts of big projects on Earth.”

  “Damn…” Deloris muttered. She was looking at something on her pad.

  “Regretting the pepper sauce?” Barak asked.

  “I was trying to picture a percent of Earth’s land area. Remember, Earth is way more water than dry land. I couldn’t picture it, so I did a net query. The closest country to being one percent of the Earth’s surface is Persia. I guess Persia would be plenty to split three or four ways and have plenty of personal room.

  “Bigger than Central, a vast estate or a bunch of different sites, and that’s just one planet. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, but thanks for finding an example,” Heather said. “Now, go find another one, so you can have a different vacation retreat.”

  Deloris started thinking about that and laughed uncontrollably.

  * * *

  Jeff didn’t expect a quick reply to his offer, but the next day they had barely finished breakfast when his com pinged and the Martians’ attorney Dirk Crabeth wanted to speak to him.

  “Mr. Singh, my clients came to a quick decision and want to accept your offer for the northern polar region,” Crabeth said. “They agree you stand in an equitable condition regarding the services rendered for the artifacts you received and will regard that as a closed transaction.”

  That was interesting. They must be desperate to have accepted so quickly, Jeff thought.

  “That wasn’t my deal, it was with the sovereign of Central. You should inform her of that separately,” Jeff suggested “We share many business interests and I am a peer. But her political status only applies to me if she directly commissions me to act for her. I was not her voice or agent with the Martians.”

  “I will compose a separate note to her not mentioning you or this new transfer,” he agreed. “Now, what sort of documentation will satisfy you? I assume you share your sovereign’s wish not to expose a vessel to the risk of making a Mars landing? So you will not be picking up a wet-ink copy of the deed of sale. How do you wish to do this?” Crabeth asked.

  “Copy the wording with which they ceded the southern region and add a clause to allow passage between them. Include in the document your power of attorney from the Martians so you can sign for them. It should be valid under the European Union laws to which you are subject. If you misrepresent your status, I want to be able to come after you where you live.” Jeff made no effort to spare his feelings. “I don’t hear any lag at all. Are you still on the Moon?”

  “I took the afternoon bus to Armstrong and have a hotel room here. I can prepare the documents and be back at Central early enough to return on the evening bus.”

  “That works for me,” Jeff agreed. And that easily, he bought a third of a planet.

  * * *

  When Jeff’s com pinged again, he wondered with irritation what Crabeth had neglected, to need to call right back, but it was the yellow light instead of the green. He thought of ignoring it for now, but April was in the shower and Heather off in her room. He had it in his hand anyway, so he went ahead and answered.

  It took him three long seconds and two eye blinks to recognize the man. That embarrassed him because it was painted on the man’s face that he saw Jeff didn’t recognize him.

  “Feng, I’m sorry. I was expecting a call back from a particularly annoying lawyer. What can I do for you?”

  Feng was Annette’s previous manager, and one of the few people who had given her any cooperation and worked toward making the colony viable.

  “Do you know what has happened here?” Feng asked.

  “I sold the place. Of course, I’m aware of that. If you are speaking of anything else, I’d have no way to know. Annette left immediately when the deal closed. I’m responsible for that. She’s had so much opposition I didn’t feel it was safe for her to stay. Did you get a legal document that your residence is yours now? I sent quit-claim deeds to everyone living there.”

  “That I did,” Feng acknowledged with a nod, but didn’t look grateful at all. He looked grim. “I also got a message from a Mr. Liem Handoko speaking for the new owners. He informed us that all the employees of the casino and the other support people for Camelot will be laid off after the next two groups of gamblers finish their stays. That will be ten days from now.”

  Jeff didn’t reply right away, considering all the ramifications of that. Feng just stayed silent, aware it would take a minute to absorb that.

  “The man is an idiot,” Jeff concluded quickly. “I was afraid for Annette’s safety. This just invites sabotage and reprisals. I wouldn’t put it past a few of the residents to open their places to vacuum, damage the power plant, or corrupt environmental systems. Come to that, it wouldn’t surprise me if the last batch of gamblers got snatched as hostages. They’re all rich.”

  “Indeed, I packed quickly and called the very hopper that took Annette away back to evacuate me as soon as I got her text that she was gone. I’d have offered to share the ride if she’d confided in me. I was her manager and expected every bad reaction you imagined and worse to be directed toward me. With Annette gone I was the logical next target in line for their anger. They never blame themselves for anything. I was at Armstrong and looking for an apartment before Handoko sent the lay-off notice and offered us all a buy-out on our homes.”

  “He did? What sort of offer did he make?” Jeff wondered. He was curious to compare it to what he’d have asked. He wasn’t prepared for the answer at all.

  “By the most interesting coincidence, he offered just a little more than the cost of transportation back to Earth.” His face said he still wasn’t sure Jeff wasn’t in on it.

  “Oh, Feng… I ha
d no idea they would do such a thing. It’s outright extortion.”

  Feng shrugged. “I accepted it as fast as I could reply. I was probably the first one. At least I got something. Holdouts may find the offer withdrawn and then what will they do? The ones with political connections don’t dare go back to China. They are all tainted by association with the previous government.”

  “Do you know what the situation is for the Yangs?” Jeff asked. “I’m aware of them because of their young girl Hua. She impressed me when she visited.”

  “You probably would not recognize her. She has had the growth you’d expect at her age. She and her family were here the day after me. They are more aware than most and saw the buy-out as a warning to leave. They’re entrepreneurs not above working and hired a shuttle to bring some of their equipment and supplies out. They’re the sort who will do just fine anywhere.”

  “How about you? If you need employment, I can find a job for you at Central or Home.”

  “Thank you. I don’t think I am ready to live under a queen. I expect there will be jobs available here for a good manager. My English is better than my French, but if I don’t care for Armstrong, I might even try Marseille before Central. No offense to your queen.”

  “None taken. Thank you for informing me. I find that when people are angry at me, they often assume I know why. I appreciate the heads-up.”

  Feng just nodded acknowledgment and disconnected.

  April was standing there with wet hair.

  “Want to tell me what that was all about?” she asked.

  * * *

  When Crabeth came back they examined the documents, signed copies, and were done in twenty minutes. He got paid, got a confirmation message back, and left, without any handshaking, celebration, or offers of refreshment. They did business with each other but there was no joy in it at all. Jeff wondered if this would be the last voyage of the Sandman? Even if he didn’t render it obsolete with his dedicated vessel, the North Americans or the French would apply the drive tech improvements from their starships to constant boost interplanetary vessels soon. Maybe they would preserve it as a museum display of some sort.

  * * *

  Vic got a text message from Ted Foster.

  From: Theodore Foster

  Subject: Travel here

  Arlo has two men coming to conference with him. He vouches for them. They will come here on the way to Arlo’s. If you wish, they will travel with you for safety one way. Expect them tomorrow or the next day. No reply needed. I won’t be in contact with Arlo.

  T.F.

  That was a well thought out compact message. Vic showed it to Eileen.

  “Can we be ready by then? Can you get Tommy and Pearl to house-sit on short notice? Can you interrupt some of the garden stuff you don’t have in yet? What about Alice?”

  “I don’t see a problem for any of it. I don’t want to take Alice along. I see no advantage to it and nothing happening will be of interest to her. It’s not like a festival, it’s a private business meeting. The next question is if it makes sense for you to go?” Vic asked.

  “It’s our business. I may want a say on things. You aren’t going to haul much beside those poles behind one bike, and you have no idea what you may want to haul back. If you try to travel too light and get delayed, you’ll end up sleeping on the ground hungry. Besides, if there is safety in numbers, people are less likely to mess with four than three.”

  Vic called Alice and told her to run to the Woodleigh’s and see if they could house-sit. They grabbed a few things and came right back with her.

  It was not only the next day, but fairly early in the morning that Arlo’s men showed up. It was a good thing Tommy and Pearl were there early. They felt much better to leave Alice, not worried about when they would arrive.

  The men announced themselves blowing a signal whistle, staying well back and one squatting down while the other waved until Vic came to the door. When he advanced to the house, the other man stayed back until he met Vic, confirmed he had the right place and was invited into the living room where Eileen, Tommy, and Pearl were waiting to get a look at him. Vic didn’t feel obligated to introduce anyone or explain relationships.

  When he was satisfied, he went to the door and gave a very brief double blow on the whistle and the other man joined him. Both were not shy about looking them over. They took in the fact both Tommy and Pearl were armed with long guns at hand. Vic had the feeling they were judging their health and general prosperity, as well as the state of their arms. He was sure they looked long and hard at their footwear. That might hold them back on the road. It wasn’t entirely clear if they passed inspection until the leader turned to say something to his partner. Alice was standing inside the door, pistol jammed in her jeans and rifle at the ready. He jerked a little to find her there. She’d entered utterly silently and was inspecting them as critically as they had looked over the Foys.

  The two had M4s, similar to Eileen’s gun, a lighter caliber than his .308. They had the select fire switch and a half dozen magazines hung on their chest. They sported Kevlar helmets with short smoky visors and other serious gear but no insignia. Vic wondered if they were deserters, but he couldn’t see where any patches were ripped off. Given the state of things, he didn’t care. North America had deserted plenty of their own in California, leaving them in the lurch.

  Alice finished her inspection first and gave her assessment.

  “Damn, these guys are hardcore.”

  That got a big smile and the leader said, “Takes one to know one.”

  Alice just inclined her head to thank him but never took her eyes off them.

  “If we don’t delay too long here, we can make Foster’s before sundown. Can you keep up?”

  “We’re on bicycles and all loaded up ready to go. It would be pretty pathetic if we couldn’t.”

  “Let’s do it then. I’m Mark, this is Ken. I rank. If anything happens to me, he’s a good one to listen to in a tactical situation.”

  “My wife, Eileen, Alice, Tommy, Pearl,” he said pointing to each.

  Mark didn’t demand details. Vic led them back out the front door to go around the house to the bikes. They didn’t need a tour of the house.

  “That’s brand new!” Mark said when he looked over Vic’s bike.

  “Pretty near. We had them flown in from Nevada this spring,” Vic said.

  Mark nodded and you could see he was reassessing the Foys, rethinking a lot of assumptions, and considering new possibilities in his mind.

  “You guys taking point?” Eileen asked.

  Her tone was so commanding Vic thought Mark was going to salute.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Mark nodded to Ken and he took off at a jog. They fell into a routine, the point jogging ahead and then slowing to a walk. The follower would jog to catch up and then the point would jog again when he was near caught up. It appeared they could keep that up all day. Vic was mighty glad they had bicycles.

  * * *

  Heather dismissed Amy for the evening to give them a little quiet and privacy. That lasted for a few minutes, and then all three of their pads chimed and the house com console made a racket, indicating a high priority message. Heather sent it right to the wall display not bothering to see what it was with all of them alerted.

  Chen was waiting to talk to them, more excited than he usually displayed.

  “The North Americans suddenly put a crew of four aboard their ship while it was on the opposite side of the Earth from us. In ten minutes they were gone,” he said with a sweeping gesture.

  “Any idea of their target?” Jeff asked.

  “It could be anywhere over such a huge arch we have no idea,” Chen said. “There wasn’t anything pointed off that direction. There wasn’t anything to turn and follow them. Certainly not our rented camera. It took some fine adjustments to get it pointed and focused on their orbital position. It isn’t made to track anything. If I can find the data anywhere and steal it I will.”

  “Well,
we knew this was going to happen,” Jeff said calmly. “I wish them the best of luck and a safe return. We don’t need any more dead astronauts.”

  “You’re taking it rather well,” Chen said.

  “We have competition now. I intend to stay ahead of them. When we meet an alien civilization, I’d rather it be us that makes contact first if we can. They should know some of us are sane before they meet our crazy relatives. The Hringhorni has been out three hundred light-years just recently. I think it will take them some time to catch up.”

  Chen was interested in that. It was news that hadn’t filtered down to him yet.

  “Did they find anything interesting?”

  “A planet with plant life,” Heather said, “but the Hringhorni can’t land on a high g planet. We’ll go back with the Chariot. It may not be next week, which is what the crew wants I suspect. They are very encouraged.”

  “It will be interesting how much the North Americans reveal when they come back,” April said. “If they tell us where they went, that would reveal a lot about the capacity of their new ship.”

  “If they come back,” Chen said.

  “They’ll try again if they don’t,” Jeff said. “Maybe not North America right away. This was a huge investment for them. But some Earthies will manage it eventually.

  “Oh, also you should be aware I took some of the proceeds from the sale of Camelot and bought some real estate yesterday. I got the north polar cap of Mars just like Heather has the south.”

  “Well, at least you have one good neighbor,” Chen said.

  “I wonder if the Martians won’t fail as a colony without outside intervention?” Jeff said. “How can something so flawed keep going very long?”

  “Look up the history of North Korea,” Chen suggested.

  “I’m concerned the outside intervention will involve the Earthies demanding to send armed ships beyond L1 to fix that mess,” Heather said. “France knows about them now. There is some sort of weird problem to just about anybody now. I doubt the Earthies have the patience just to cut them off and let them fail.”