Stranger in a Strange Land

«So General Atomics, a Swiss corporation American controlled, claimed the Moon. The Federation couldn't brush them off and grab it; the Russians wouldn't have held still. So the High Court ruled that a corporate person, a mere legal fiction, could not own a planet; the real owners were the men who maintained occupation — Larkin and associates. So they recognized them as a sovereign nation and took them into the Federation — with melon slicing for those on the inside and concessions to General Atomics and its daughter corporation, Lunar Enterprises. This did not please anybody and the Federation High Court was not all-powerful then — but it was a compromise everybody could swallow. It resulted in rules for colonizing planets, all based on the Larkin Decision and intended to avoid bloodshed. Worked, too — World War Three did not result from conflict over space travel and such. So the Larkin Decision is law and applies to Smith.»

Jill shook her head. «I don't see the connection.»

«Think, Jill. By our laws, Smith is a sovereign nation — and sole owner of the planet Mars.»

V

JILL LOOKED round-eyed. «Too many martinis, Ben. I would swear you said that patient owns Mars.»

«He does. He occupied it the required period. Smith is the planet Mars — King, President, sole civic body, what you will. If the Champion had not left colonists, Smith's claim might have lapsed. But it did and that continues occupation even though Smith came to Earth. But Smith doesn't have to split with them; they are mere immigrants until he grants them citizenship.»

«Fantastic!»

«But legal. Honey, you see why people are interested in Smith? And why the administration is keeping him under a rug? What they are doing isn't legal. Smith is also a citizen of the United States and of the Federation; it's illegal to hold a citizen, even a convicted criminal, incommunicado anywhere in the Federation. Also, it has been an unfriendly act all through history to lock up a visiting monarch — which he is — and not to let him see people, especially the press, meaning me. You still won't sneak me?»

«Huh? You've got me scared silly. Ben, if they had caught me, what would they have done?»

«Mmm … nothing rough. Locked you in a padded cell, with a certificate signed by three doctors, and allowed you mail on alternate leap years. I'm wondering what they are going to do to him.»

«What can they do?»

«Well, he might die — from gee-fatigue, say.»

«You mean murder him?»

«Tut, tut! Don't use nasty words. I don't think they will. In the first place he is a mine of information. In the second place, he is a bridge between us and the only other civilized race we have encountered. How are you on the classics? Ever read H. G. Wells'The War of the Worlds?»

«A long time ago, in school.»

«Suppose the Martians turn out nasty. They might and we have no way of guessing how big a club they swing. Smith might be the go-between who could make the First Interplanetary War unnecessary. Even if this is unlikely, the administration can't ignore it. The discovery of life on Mars is something that, politically, they haven't figured out yet.»

«Then you think he is safe?»

«For the time being. The Secretary General has to guess right. As you know, his administration is shaky.»

«I don't pay attention to politics.»

«You should. It's barely less important than your own heart beat.»

«I don't pay attention to that, either.»

«Don't talk when I'm orating. The patchwork majority headed by Douglas could slip apart overnight — Pakistan would bolt at a nervous cough. There would be a vote of no confidence and Mr. Secretary General Douglas would go back to being a cheap lawyer. The Man from Mars can make or break him. Are you going to sneak me in?»

«I'm going to enter a nunnery. Is there more coffee?»

«I'll see.»

They stood up. Jill stretched and said, «Oh, my ancient bones! Never mind coffee, Ben; I've got a hard day tomorrow. Run me home, will you? Or send me home, that's safer.»

«Okay, though the evening is young.» He went into his bedroom, came out carrying an object the size of a small cigarette lighter. «You won't sneak me in?»

«Gee, Ben, I want to, but — »

«Never mind. It is dangerous — and not just to your career.» He showed her the object. «Will you put a bug on him?»

«Huh? What is it?»

«The greatest boon to spies since the Mickey Finn. A microminiaturized recorder. The wire is spring driven so it can't be spotted by a snooper circuit. The insides are packed in plastic — you could drop it out of a cab. The power is about as much radioactivity as in a watch dial, but shielded. The wire runs twenty-four hours. Then you slide out a spool and stick in another — the spring is part of the spool.»

«Will it explode?» she asked nervously.

«You could bake it in a cake.»

«Ben, you've got me scared to go into his room.»

«You can go into the room next door, can't you?»

«I suppose so.»