“Yes,” Holden said. “RCE has a legal mandate from the UN placing them in control of this planet for the duration of their scientific mission. But we can’t ignore the fact that people had been living on New Terra, or Ilus, for months before that charter was drafted.”
“No, we can’t,” Carol said.
“So we work out a compromise,” Holden said, “that allows RCE to do the work they came here to do. Work which will, we hope, benefit everyone, including the colonists. This is a new world. There may be any number of dangers here we are unaware of. But this compromise must also allow for the possibility that the final decision of the home governments will be to grant Ilus self-governing status.”
Amos snorted and his head jerked up, eyes wide open for a moment and then slowly narrowing back toward closed.
“Yeah, so,” Holden said, “that’s the long boring explanation. The short version is, I want RCE to move forward with doing the science, and I want the colonists to continue living their lives, and I don’t want anyone getting killed. How do we make that happen?”
Murtry tilted his chair back on two legs and stretched out with his hands behind his head. “Well,” he said, “you make a big point of telling me you plan to arrest me once we get back in civilized space.”
“Yes.”
“But by my count the colonists” – he sneered the word – “have racked up about two dozen kills.”
“And when we figure out who the perpetrators are,” Holden said, “they too will go back to Sol system to face trials.”
“You’re a detective now?” Murtry snorted. Holden felt a weird chill run down his spine and looked around as if Miller might somehow have appeared.
“I think that the RCE security force, working in conjunction with Mister Burton and myself, should continue its investigation of those crimes.”
“Wait,” Carol said, leaning forward suddenly in her chair, “I won’t let him —”
“Investigation only. No trials can be held here, so no penalties can be meted out beyond protective detention, and that only with my express consent.”
“Your express consent?” Murtry said, speaking slowly, like he was tasting the words. He smiled. “If they’ll let my team keep looking into the killings while we continue the negotiations here, permit us the right to protect ourselves, and guarantee that anyone with strong evidence against them will be held against future trial, I’m fine with that.”
“Of course he is!” Carol said. “Delay is all he needs to kill us.”
Holden frowned at that. “Explain.”
“We’re not self-supporting yet,” Carol said. “We’ve got the Barb up in orbit. She can bring us fuel cells charged from her drive, and she dropped us with all the food and seeds she had, but we can’t really plant here yet. Soil has the wrong microorganisms in it. We desperately need food stores, soil enrichments, medical supplies.”
“All of which RCE is happy to —” Murtry started.
“But what we do have is the richest lithium vein any of us have ever seen. And with that ore, we can buy everything else we need. The Israel is keeping the Barbapiccola from sending down her shuttle to pick up the rest, and she’s threatened to stop the Barb if she tries to leave orbit.”
“The mineral rights on New Terra are not yours,” Murtry said. “Not until the UN says they are.”
Carol slapped the table with her palm; it was as loud as a gunshot in the small room. “See? It’s a waiting game. If he can just block us from taking our ore up to the ship long enough, then it won’t matter who gets those rights. Even if they’re awarded to us, we’ll be so behind in moving the ore to the ship that we’ll all starve to death before we ever get to market.”
“So,” Holden said. “You’re asking for the right to keep loading the ore onto the Barbapiccola while the rights are negotiated.”
Carol opened her mouth, closed it, and folded her arms.
“Yes,” she said.
“Okay,” Holden said with a nod. “Sounds fair to me. No matter who winds up selling that ore, they’ll need a transport to move it, and the Barb is as good as anything else.”
Murtry shrugged. “Fine. We’ll allow the shuttle to land and begin transporting ore again. But mining operations come with some problems for me.”
“Explain?” Holden said again.
“They’re using explosives. The same type of explosive that was used to bring down the shuttle and kill the governor. As long as these people have unrestricted access to it my people are at risk.”
“What’s your solution?” Holden asked.
“I want to control access.”
“So you’ll let us move the ore you won’t let us mine?” Carol said. “Typical corporate doublespeak.”
“I’m not saying that,” Murtry said, patting the air in a calm down gesture that struck Holden as intentionally patronizing. “I’m saying we hold the explosives when not in use, and your mining crews sign them out when needed. That way nothing goes missing and shows up later as a pipe bomb.”
“Carol, does that seem fair to you?” Holden asked.
“It’ll slow the process down, but it’s not a deal breaker,” she replied.
“Okay,” Holden said, standing up. “We’ll stop there for now. We’ll meet again tomorrow to go over the UN proposal on colony administration and start hammering out details. We also need to talk about environmental controls.”
“The OPA —” Carol started.
“Yes, I have the recommendations from Fred Johnson as well, and those will be discussed. I’d like to transmit a revised plan to the UN and OPA by the end of the week, and get their feedback. Acceptable?”
There were nods from both Murtry and Carol. “Great. I’ll want you two with me when I present today’s agreement at the town hall meeting tonight. Our first show of goodwill and solidarity.”
Murtry rose and walked past Carol without looking at her or shaking hands.
Goodwill and solidarity indeed.
~
“So,” Amos said when Holden exited the town hall meeting that night. “How’d it go?”
“I must have done it right,” Holden replied. “Everyone’s pissed.”
They walked along the dusty street together in companionable silence for a while. Amos finally said, “Weird planet. Walking in open air at night with no moon is breaking my head.”