He said, "You mean to tell me that up in space you people get together and build a new island that has no affiliation whatsoever to Earthside private enterprise or to any specific nation?"
"That's correct. We're tired of misguidance from, ah, Earthworms."
"Earthworms!"
The Lagrangist wasn't without humor. He laughed lightly and said, "An old joke."
Jerry said, "But buying out my interests in solar power and such. Where the hell would you get the credits? One of my executives just informed me I have over two hundred million in investments in space."
The other agreed to that. "From the first, pay in space has been astronomical, compared to that Earthside. And, frankly, there is comparatively little to spend it on. We don't particularly go for ostentatious living, conspicuous consumption. We have no desire to keep up with the Joneses, or have a larger house, or boat—in those islands large enough to have suitable bodies of water—than our neighbors. I don't mean that there are any rules against it, but we simply don't do it. We pile up the credits. Some of the more energetic among us began to put scientific and industrial space developments to work for exports—artificial diamonds, for instance. Now we have enough money to buy out Earthside interests and, uh, I believe the term you use down here is to nationalize them."
"Why?" Jerry said blankly.
His visitor sighed. "For one thing, you Earthworms are usually unable to identify with our problems. You send instructions that are ridiculous considering the situations that apply. Often you send directives to expand in some direction in which expansion is pure nonsense, or refuse to divert funds to some effort which is absolutely necessary. It's something like England running the Thirteen Colonies from three thousand miles away. The British had no conception of the problems that faced American colonists."
Jerry Auburn was astonished. He came to his feet and made his way over to his office bar, his face in thought. "Drink?" he said.
The Lagrangist said, "You wouldn't have any Reman Riesling, would you? Top Earthside wines are one of the few things we haven't been able to duplicate in Lagrangia. We're working on it," he added quickly.
"I have some," Jerry murmured, still in his other thoughts. He filled glasses and returned to his desk, extending his visitor the dry white wine.
After settling back into his chair and swallowing some of his brandy, he said, "So: the space colonists are attempting to cut ties with Mother Earth."
"Some mother," the other said wryly. "More like a stepmother."
"How do you mean?"
"Earth has, from the beginning, only exploited Lagrangia and the Belt Islands. Almost all the profits are funneled back to Earth, rather than being used for continued expansion of the space program. A corporation wants immediate dividends; not, uh, pie in the sky a century from now. We have a different view. We've got a different dream."
Jerry was becoming increasingly intrigued. "So you're having trouble with Earth. Such as?"
The other took another sip of his wine, appreciatively. He looked at the multibillionaire and said, "Almost all funds for the space programs have been cut to ribbons. It's practically impossible for a top scientist or technician from whatever country to get permission to migrate to the space islands. Even ordinary folk are highly discouraged from leaving for Lagrangia or the Asteroids. Whenever we make a scientific breakthrough in the islands we immediately rush the details Earthside, but of recent years the Earth nations do not reciprocate. They keep their discoveries to themselves."
"Why should we do that?"
Venner shrugged and frowned before answering. "We're not sure. Maybe we're going too fast in the islands; the Earthside powers are afraid we'll upset the boat, come up with changes that will threaten the status quo. We're contributing to future shock with a vengeance. Sooner or later, almost every Earth institution will be threatened with change as a result of developments in space."
"Probably true." Jerry thought about it before saying, "These new developments of yours. What kind of political system have you dreamed up?"
"We're experimenting with a half-dozen alternatives." The other flashed a grin of deprecation. "None of them very similar to anything now prevailing Earthside."
"I'll be damned," Jerry said. Then, "Look, with emigration being deliberately discouraged, how are you populating these new islands of the Federation?"
The other looked him straight in the eye. "Partially from natural increase. We still like kids in the space colonies. But even more so from the original islands."
Jerry looked at him quizzically. "Wouldn't the original islands take a dim view of losing their inhabitants in that manner?"
Ian Venner wasn't fazed. "Some of them do, especially in the Belt."
"I'd think the Soviet Complex would send the KGB up en masse."
"They do. And they defect. For that matter, so do the IABI men, and those from the Common Europe Interpol, while chasing felons who've run to Lagrangia. My own—never mind," he finished, smiling to himself.
"Jesus," Jerry muttered. "I'll have to have my people do me a brief on this. I had no idea…" He scrutinized the Lagrangist again. "How are racial problems in Lagrangia and the Asteroids?"
"What race problems?"
Jerry was impatient. "You know: conflict between the races. Blacks, whites, yellows…"
The man from Lagrangia was just as impatient. "Auburn," he interrupted, "when you're out in deep space and something happens to your suit, you don't give a good goddamn whether the person next to you is black, yellow, or green. Death only comes in one color. In space, all humans cooperate, or they die. We pay no more attention to a person's race than his religion, if he has any—which he most likely doesn't."
Jerry said, "Come again?"
Venner was still impatient. "That's one of the reasons we're on the shit list. The Prophet has been pulling out all the stops when it comes to space colonization. He found out about twenty years ago that there wasn't a single church in Lagrange Five and demanded that he be allowed to build a United Church mission in our Island One. Obviously, we couldn't care less, so he built it and manned it."
"But nobody came, eh?" Jerry Auburn was amused.
"Oh, we all came. Once. In fact, some came back again for the second time… for laughs. Good grief, Auburn, any emigrants to the space colonies are screened to hell and gone, not for just competence in their line of work, but for intelligence, education, Ability Quotient. How many of them do you think can believe in the religious mythologies of the Jews, the Christians, the Moslems, the Buddhists, the Shinto-ists, or any of the rest? And if we tried to teach the Genesis account, Noah's Ark and the rest, do you think any of them would swallow it? Sorry."
Jerry got up and went over to the bar to refresh their drinks. He returned with them and said, "I begin to see why you people are getting uptight. So you've been rather quietly acquiring all private investments in space that you can get your hands on, as fast as you can finance it. But why approach me directly? Why not resort to various stock exchanges and buy up a controlling interest in Auburn Space Development, Incorporated?"
Ian Vernier said, "It's a question we debated. However, your grandfather was one of the first to invest in Lagrange Five, and he did it with no strings attached. He didn't make quick initial profits and keep them Earthside. For two decades, he reinvested all income from space back into the projects. When he died, your father continued the policy. And he didn't use Earthworm directors. He was the first to have sense enough to appoint experienced Lagrangists, usually second-generation colonists. Nor have we had any interference from you since you have inherited the Auburn interests. So we decided, in all fairness, that we should consult you without the bullshit."