“We came in starships, like the one next to the headquarters…"
“No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean how is it that Bechtel-Rand came to Godsworld and nobody else? What about the Earth government? Or other corporations? Or religions seeking converts?"
“Oh, I see what you're asking. Bechtel-Rand won the development contract when Godsworld was rediscovered. I'm not sure if the Godsworld job was a bid, a lottery, or rotation, but when they let the contract we got it."
“When who let what contract?"
“When the Colonial Redevelopment Authority gave out the right to develop Godsworld."
“How does that work?"
“Well, the CRA is in charge of everything concerning the old sleepership colonies, both vol and shangman…"
“What?"
“The CRA-the Colonial Redevelopment Authority-controls everything about the colonies founded by the United Nation, back before FTL was developed…"
“Eftial?"
“Faster-than-light."
“Go on."
“Right. There are a lot of colonies-the United Nation got rid of anyone who made trouble by shipping them off quick-frozen. Some were founded by volunteers, like Godsworld-people who wanted a world of their own-and others were founded by prisoners or just people off the streets who happened to get caught, who didn't want to go. The volunteers are called ‘vol', and the others are called ‘shangman'-I'm not sure where the word came from. Anyway, it doesn't matter which they are, the CRA controls them all."
“All right, I understand that-but then, why is Bechtel-Rand here, instead of the CRA?"
“The CRA doesn't develop planets itself; that's not their job. They're just a branch of the Interstellar Confederacy overgovernment in charge of making sure that everyone plays by the rules. One of those rules is that lost colonies need to be handled carefully and treated with respect; nobody wants to start an interstellar war. So when a colony is found, the way Godsworld was, the CRA assesses the situation and chooses one developer who is allowed to move in slowly and establish contact between the colony and Earth. They're supposed to pick the developer best suited to handle each particular situation, but sometimes nobody can decide which company that is, so they hold a lottery, or if there are one or two companies that would do equally well, whichever one didn't get the job last time gets a turn. I don't know how they decided about Godsworld, but they gave it to Bechtel-Rand."
“Why only one?"
“Because if there were two, they would compete with each other, and that could be dangerous for the colonists. Keeping one corporation in line isn't that hard, but when there are two competing in the same market it's almost impossible, and the CRA doesn't want to try. Besides, why confuse the colonists with two developers, or three? On some worlds the developers are practically gods-and if a tribe thinks one developing corporation is the gods, then the other one must be demons. You can get some nasty little wars that way."
John nodded. The explanation made good sense, and was in line with some of his own guesswork.
“Does that one corporation keep the contract forever?"
“Oh, no, of course not! Eventually the colony reaches the point where it can handle modern civilization, and allow in other corporations, or even build corporations of its own. There are a dozen colonies that were never handled by a single developer, and a few others that outgrew it. After all, FTL was invented by one of the colonies in the first place-Achernar IV, the home of the Interstellar Confederacy. They weren't going to stand for giving one company from Earth a monopoly!"
John did not entirely follow this, but did not let that distract him; he latched onto the point that concerned him. “How do they know when a planet is ready to let other corporations in?"
“Oh, that's easy-when the people of the planet invite other corporations, they're free to come. The CRA only chooses the company that can land without an invitation. The colonists own their own planets, though, so they have the final word about who comes and goes. I suppose they could even refuse to let the CRA's developer land at all-but that's never happened, so far as I know."
“You mean that if another corporation received an invitation from someone on Godsworld, they could move in tomorrow?"
“Worried about someone competing with you if you work for Bechtel-Rand, huh? Well, it's not quite that simple. First off, it would take more than a day for a message to reach Earth and a ship to come here. Second, the invitation has to come from someone who has the authority to issue it-the ship has to have a place to land. An innkeeper can't just invite in another company because he wants a better price on his liquor; you can't land a starship in a stableyard."
“I suppose not.” John looked at Kwam? thoughtfully. “How big an area do you need to land a starship?"
“Oh, a dozen hectares or so."
“What's a hectare?"
Kwam? snorted. “I think Godsworld must be the only planet in the entire galaxy where people don't use the metric system! Why your ancestors decided to use the ancient American system I will never understand!"
“They were Americans,” John said stiffly. Insulting the Founders was not something he could take lightly.
“Yes, I know, but even then America had been using metrics for a century or so!"
John had not been aware of that, but refused to be distracted. “What's a hectare?” he repeated.
“It's… it's… I don't know your units well enough. You could land a starship in a square about a thousand feet on a side, I think."
“A thousand-foot square? That would be twenty or thirty acres. That's not that much."
“It's enough."
“If I had a hundred acres of land somewhere, then, I could invite another Earth corporation to land there and trade with me and the rest of Godsworld?"
“Well, yes, I suppose you could-if you had some way of getting a message to them."
“Ah! That, Mr. Mawn-Tess, is why I wanted to talk to you where the machines couldn't hear us. Ms. Humble tells me you don't mind bending rules a little-would you consider delivering a message to the ITD Corporation for me?"
“What?"
“You heard me."
“Are you crazy? I'd lose my job! Why would you want to do that?"
“Mr. Mawn-Tess, I don't like the New Bechtel-Rand Corporation; I don't like the way they do business. I don't think they deserve to be the only corporation on Godsworld, and I want to invite in another one to take part of the planet away from them. If you won't help me, I can find someone else who will-and if you do help me, I would think that the ITD Corporation might be grateful enough to give you a job if you lose your position with Bechtel-Rand."
“They might, at that.” Kwam? looked at him thoughtfully. “They just might-and there could be a nice bonus in it, too."
“You see?"
“I'd need your word that you'd demand they hire me and keep me hired-after all, you'd be issuing the invitation, so you'd be the one with some say."
“I'd be glad to do that, Mr. Mawn-Tess."
“You'll need that landing site-thirty heckus, or whatever you said, of flat, clear ground."
“Acres-thirty acres. That won't be a problem."
“In that case, Captain Mercy-of-Christ, you've got a deal.” He stuck out his hand. This time John's shake was more enthusiastic.
Chapter Eighteen
“Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?"-Ecclesiastes 8:4