“And your credentials are—?”
“I am an analyst and a writer, Mr. Helger.”
“So I see. But without any particular experience in xenobiology or—”
“Mr. Helger, unless a large delegation was to be sent, there was no way to address all the specializations required for this investigation: xenobiology, xenozoology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, archeology, corporate and international law—”
“Law? I’m not sure I understand.”
“Mr. Helger, since you arrived here, there have been a number of legal irregularities which have caused friction back home. You’ve imposed airspace restrictions in direct contravention of international interstellar colonization accords, have constructed a separate downport which only serves your own carriers—another international violation—and conducted an independent regional survey that contradicted and dismissed the original planetary assessment. You then began resource exploitation in a zone which had been interdicted by the first survey—this zone that you now call the Shangri-La Valley. Clearly, these are matters that would ideally be handled by official representatives of, and legal counsel for, the various parties.”
Helger sat; he did not invite Caine to do so. “I am afraid that is where your analysis is already flawed, Mr. Riordan. The survey was conducted by CoDevCo, not by the EU. Similarly, many of the restrictions and actions undertaken here at Site One have been according to orders sent from Earth by higher CoDevCo authorities. According to the co-administrative agreement with the EU, I must act upon those orders until the contradictions between our corporate prerogatives and national commitments are resolved through arbitration, back on Earth. Therefore, while I would be happy to lift the ban on access to our facilities, I cannot legally do so at this time.”
Caine sat. “Mr. Helger, the wording of your joint agreement—of which I have a copy—quite explicitly states that the EU’s existing agreements with other parties take precedence over the authority of the co-administration. In short, the European union ’s commitment to the international colonization covenant comes first—no exceptions, no special clauses.”
“I’m sorry we have such a difference of interpretation, Mr. Riordan, but I am not about to change my operations based on your reading of this contract.”
“It is not my reading, Mr. Helger: I am following an explication from lawyers at The Hague.”
“Regardless, I do not recognize your authority here.”
“Then I’m sorry to say that I must immediately suspend your downport’s interface operations with the highport.”
Helger laughed, leaned back. “Mr. Riordan, do you really expect me to pick up the phone and ground my spaceplanes? Just because you tell me to do so?”
“No, Mr. Helger. I know you won’t take any directives from me. But the system Port Authority will.”
Helger was no longer smiling or leaning back in his chair. “You cannot do this. Port facilities—no matter who owns them—must be kept freely available to all nations—”
“That’s true. It’s part of the international colonization covenant. But then again, you’ve decided to ignore that covenant. Now, as I understand contract law, Mr. Helger, when one side defaults on a contract, the other party is freed from its obligations under that same contract. Which means that the system Port Authority—which is wholly a Commonwealth entity—is now free to deny you docking access, may impound any cargoes currently held, refuse to accept or relay communications of any kind—”
“This is outrageous: it is blackmail.”
“It seems more like blackjack to me, Mr. Helger. You bet that you held the better cards and were willing to reject recognizing my authority. But now it seems that I hold the better cards. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean I am eager to play them. . . .”
C’mon, Helger: take the bait.
Helger did. “What exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Riordan?”
“I mean that it would be best if we could avoid a showdown, Mr. Helger. Yes, I’d win—but at what cost? I can do a better job here if I have your cooperation. And I’m willing to make sure that cooperating with me is worth your while.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’d be happy not to suspend your Port Authority rights. And—for now—you can keep your airspace and regional exclusivity. But I need to be able to go wherever I want, whenever I want, without obstruction. Agreed?”
Come on, take the step—
Helger’s lower teeth sought, and chewed lightly at, his neat moustache. “Agreed.”