"So, you have the right because you say you do. And therein lies the greatest problem, sir," Frank replied. "Man's Hope International exists for the purpose of supporting and promoting man's expansion into space. This resolution says 'don't bother spending the billions to go explore Phobos. The UN already owns it.' This resolution directly opposes the goals of Man's Hope International by discouraging man from exploring and exploiting space. We must oppose it every way we can.
"Secondly, I assume you would claim the right to 'inspect' Eros to make certain it is being run in accordance with your views."
"Well, of course we must inspect. We must be sure that standards are being observed."
"What standards, sir?" Frank asked. "How many standards and regulations have you written, and who are the 'experts' who have written them, considering that this is the first asteroid ever exploited?"
"Well," the Secretary General replied, "Due to the unprecedented nature of this accomplishment, it would be our responsibility to establish standards and regulations, of course."
"Of course, sir. And if either Man's Hope International or Space International objected to standards and regulations drafted on Earth by bureaucrats with no space experience, I assume you would find it necessary to send blue helmets, or blue space suits to enforce them, and an Administrator to run the place 'properly'.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we feel we are setting precedents here. Precedents of freedom. We will oppose this takeover and enforce freedom in any way open to us. We do not believe that an organization purporting to represent the nations of the Earth has any claim to jurisdiction over extra planetary space. If anything, L-1 is in a lunar orbit."
"But Mr. Weatherly," the Secretary-General replied, "Your threat amounts to nothing but blackmail. 'Vote our way, or lose access to vital needs for space exploration.'"
"And this resolution amounts to theft. If the UN wants an asteroid, they can go get one. They know where they are, and there are thousands of them. Your resolution would be the death knell of space research. As for the 'vital' nature of our space station, I refer you to the Apollo program, which made several trips to the moon without benefit of a space station. Any nation that votes for this resolution is doing nothing but posturing, and putting their present interests above those of the future of mankind. The spacegoing nations all have made plans for the exploitation of space. I will be rather surprised if this resolution is not vetoed in the Security Council."
"I believe you are sincere, Mr. Weatherly, if misguided. Suppose you were the Administrator appointed to oversee Eros?"
Frank laughed. "I have already been appointed to that position, sir, by the Boards of both Man's Hope International and Space International. But I find it interesting that you are already considering such a position even before the vote, given your earlier statements."
"Yes, well," the Secretary General replied, "It is possible that we will review the charter issued to that organization. It is obviously a puppet of Space International."
"That would be unfortunate, sir, but not unexpected. I'm certain that you will do what is right, and support the people of the world who wish to see man expand his frontiers."
The Secretary-General sighed. "I see I cannot convince you that the welfare of the all the people of the Earth should have precedence over your own narrow interests. I sincerely hope that your efforts at blackmail do not succeed, sir."
"And I sincerely hope that your attempts at grand theft do not succeed, sir. Good day.
***
"This is Commander David Tarrant, Captain of the Spaceship Eros, speaking to the people of Earth. For over a year now, I have listened to the stupid and the misinformed criticize Frank Weatherly, and I have remained silent. Well, in about six weeks, we're due to assume orbit in the L-1 position of the Earth-moon system, and I can no longer remain silent. It is obvious that this totally ridiculous UN resolution is intended to take advantage of someone's need to 'get back' at Frank Weatherly for something, though nobody seems to quite know what.
"Well, I know what, though it makes me ashamed to be a man.
"When I first met Frank Weatherly, he was one of the dozen wealthiest private citizens in the world, with a net worth well over four billion dollars U.S. I wanted to get back into space, and I had an idea how it might be done.
"Mr. Weatherly liked my idea, and he ran with it. He had been searching for a cause, something important to which he could devote his life and his fortune. He did just that.
"Why did Man's Hope International suddenly start seeking donations, when it had been refusing them for over two years? Because Frank Weatherly no longer had the money to pay for a supply launch. He no longer had the money! He had spent over ninety-five percent of his four-billion-dollar fortune to mount this expedition.
"I won't recount all his accomplishments. If you don't already know them, you've been in a coma. I will merely say that without Frank Weatherly, mankind would not now be on the verge of an explosion into space. Frank singlehandedly put man back on the road to the stars, and all he has gotten in return is contempt, vilification, and abuse, first from his own government, and now from the world.
"All of this contempt and vilification began when Frank began trying to rebuild his fortune by putting together a for-profit company, Space International. I heard one commentator claim that Frank 'claimed to be working for the benefit of mankind, but was really only working for the benefit of Frank Weatherly.' Well, sir, you're full of crap. And so are the rest of you that have been spouting that kind of nonsense. And none of you have the right to criticize Frank.
"I will concede your right to criticize Frank when you contribute 95% of your net worth to any cause. You're worth $100,000? All right. All you have to do to equal Frank Weatherly is donate $95,000. That will leave you a comfortable five thousand dollars. But don't try to rebuild your net worth afterward, or you'll be some kind of villain. Anyone who can believe this is a fool. And that means you, sir.
"Somehow, people felt betrayed by the formation of Space International. Why? I suspect because they considered Frank a hero, somehow above the need for money. Once he formed a for-profit company, they assumed that Frank was somehow using it to loot Man's Hope International and they felt cheated. Their hero had feet of clay. Or at least flesh.
"You should know that the only money Frank has taken from Man's Hope International is one U.S. dollar per year to be Chairman of the Board, since that is required to be a salaried position. Well, I suppose you could say he 'cheated' you out of one U.S. dollar per year.
"Ask the government of Brazil if they feel cheated by Space International. Ask anyone who has dealt with Space International if they feel cheated. They'll laugh at you.
"But you have been calling Frank a crook, a criminal, a gangster, despite numerous audits that have shown him to be the honest, hard-working businessman he is.
"Now comes this absurd UN Resolution, claiming 'rights' over everything in space, from planets to comets. Why didn't that charlatan introduce that resolution three years ago? Because no one was doing anything notable in space, and he had nothing to gain. Besides, he'd have been laughed out of the General Assembly.
"Now, though, there will be UN jobs to demand bribes for, and money that can be extorted from Man's Hope International and Space International, and anybody else with the courage to pursue man's destiny. And he knows that you people are stupid enough to fall for the lies, and hints, and innuendoes and actually favor giving control of space and man's destiny to a bunch of unelected third-world bureaucrats, instead of standing up for freedom.
"You have heard that any nation whose Ambassador votes for the resolution will be denied the resources of Eros. Well, we, the crew of Man's Hope have also voted. We have agreed unanimously that if this resolution is actually adopted, if the people of Earth actually permit the UN to throw away their future in space, we will throw away their asteroid.