An Amicable Settlement

 Earth Friend stepped from the elevator disk and walked toward the meeting table I had set up. "Did you forget what time our meeting was?" he asked.

I looked at him quizzically, "I was about to ask the same question of you. Some would say it is unwise to keep a Planetary leader waiting, even amateurish. I had been under the impression that you were experienced at this sort of things, but perhaps I was mistaken."

Earth Friend frowned. "I am quite exper…"

"Yes, yes," I cut him off midsentence, "I'm sure you are quite adequate. Why don't you sit down so we can begin our discussions." I gestured toward the under-sized chair.

He grabbed the back of the chair and looked at it as he pulled it back away from the table. He sat down awkwardly, his knees pulled upward higher than the top of the table. He looked a bit annoyed. Good, I thought.

"First, if these negotiations are to have any weight, we'll need you to sign this document." I handed him the first paper. He glanced at it and set it down in front of him. His position and the small size of the table meant he had to lean far forward, uncomfortably so I imagined to deal with the documents. I knew that a single glance was enough for his computerized assistant to read and translate the document and give him the full download.

"We can get to that one later," He said smiling, "Why don't we start with the more important things and leave these administrative details for later?"

I smiled again and looked directly into his eyes. "Surely, you understand that if you, as first-contacting agent from the Galactic Union, don't sign this document acknowledging me as the Planetary Leader then any other agreements we reach will be null and void. Why, an unscrupulous person might wait and see if the negotiations came out in their favor and then simply not sign this 'administrative detail' as you put it. So they could try again, perhaps with a… different supposed Planetary Leader. I'm sure that's not your intent, though."

I smiled and leaned back, "Of course, that goes both ways. If I don't sign it, agreeing to allow you to the right to negotiate for Planetary concessions as an authorized Galactic Union Trading Agent, I could always declare the results of these discussions null and void then sign with another trading agent, maybe after taking a couple days to review the contracts with the Earth Base computer systems and think about whether they're really in Earth's best interests." I continued to hold his gaze. I was using everything I had learned from the implanted memory teachings about negotiation tactics, Galactic Union Trade Law, and the perceptions of power I had received from the Earth Base system. I'd have to come up with a name for the Earth base system now that I recognized him as more than a machine, I thought to myself.

"Very well," Earth Friend said, leaning forward taking up the pen that I had positioned at his end of the table before his arrival. He signed and slid it back across the table to me. I glanced at his signature.

It is valid, the Earth base system said silently in my head.

"Excellent," I said as I signed the same document. "Earth Base?" I asked as I positioned the document face on the table off to the side.

The Earth Base system voice responded, "Recorded, notarized, and sent to Galactic Union Trade Registration, and Galactic Union Archiving. You are now officially recognized as the Planetary Leader of Earth as attested by One who Crosses the Vast Emptiness to New Worlds, a duly authorized First Contact Agent of the Galactic Union Trade Association and King Timothy Aaron Bailey, the first, Supreme Ruler of the Entire Earth Solar System and Nearby Space. King Timothy is now authorized at the sole authority of the Earth System with the right to make binding agreements with the GUTA or any affiliated Galactic Union Members including Regional and Galactic Governments. Further, King Timothy agrees that the Earth System, in exchange for granting exclusive trading and technology exchange rights to the Galactic Union will be recognized as a sovereign system with a nonaggression pact, and a temporary defense agreement which shall persist for one Earth year or until a more lasting defense treaty and appropriate compensation for such can be negotiated. It is a standard new contact agreement as written by the GUTA and approved by the Galactic Union Governing Council."

I smiled. That's it then. I'm really King of Earth as far as the entire Galactic Union is concerned, I thought to myself. I knew the Earth Friend was, in theory, supposed to verify my authority and he did ask me if I was sure I was the Planetary leader when we first met, but I suspected his superiors expected a little more due diligence than that. He just thought I'd be easy to trick into signing away everything he wanted for a pittance, but the document was signed and recorded, there was no going back on it now.

"Earth Base, why don't you bring Earth Friend some coffee and a glass of milk for me. It is customary to offer a toast on such momentous occasions." A small tray flew from the door of the living quarters area with a mug of coffee and a glass of milk. It flew to me first. I took my glass, then it hovered in front of Earth Friend. He looked at the mug dubiously, but he lifted it from the tray. I'm sure he was having his computer assistant analyze it.

As the smell from the steaming coffee reached him, his eyes widened and he looked at the liquid with more interest. He tasted it. His gaze shooting back and forth between me and the mug.

"Do you like it?" I asked. "It's just one of the items that Earth could offer for trade to the Galactic Union. Of course, we'd want to hear offers from a number of different traders to get the best deal…, but first, the matter at hand. I believe you wanted to negotiate for the right to use Earth's Refueling Station at Jupiter?"

He looked up from his coffee, but did not set it down, "Yes." Then he looked at me more sharply, "No. Earth does not have a refueling base at Jupiter. We would like to place our refueling base there, in exchange for suitable trade items. Perhaps an array of sensor drones to cover the entire planet controlled from this base, by you."

I frowned. "Sensors to cover the planet… I see. That would leave us without the ability to monitor anything happening elsewhere in the system, around Jupiter, for example. Where, currently, neither Earth nor the Galactic Union has a refueling station."

"We could possibly add some more remote sensing units…" Earth Friend conceded.

I remained silent, waiting.

He looked down at the table, "and possibly outfit some of the local Earth units with some weaponry…"

"No, I don't want trinkets. I think placing and operating a refueling station at Jupiter will make you rich. I think coffee alone will make you quite a bit of money, but nothing like the amounts you'll get from the station, right?"

"Perhaps," he said, "So, what can I offer?"

"I want to be an equal partner in the station. I, as Supreme Leader of Earth and so on, will own a 50 percent stake in the refueling station and share equally in its profit. The hydrogen gas of Jupiter belongs to Earth. We are not interested in trading it away for beads."

His eyes went wide, and the corners of his mouth pulled taught to the sides. I'm guessing he was angry. "That's…, that's… unacceptable. It will be immensely expensive to build the station! We must own it outright! You primitives could never build such a thing without us. I will not give you my station, not even half of it. Do not push me, child." His eyes narrowed now, but his mouth remained stretched in an alien grimace. All four of his hands were flat on the table, as he leaned forward.

I stared back at him. "Don't even think about threatening a recognized Planetary Leader," I cautioned, "As you know, your own Galactic Union has offered its full defenses to Earth. My Earth Base can send a copy of any threats to the relevant authorities by instantaneous information transfer. Such a threat would be enough to strip you of your status with the GUTA and result in memory implant therapy. Actual violence would carry a much greater penalty."

He sat back suddenly, eyes wide again. After a few seconds, he looked up calmly, "You misunderstand, King Tim. I would never threaten you or your planet. My trader's negotiation tone can be misinterpreted by certain species. Nevertheless, my point remains, we are outlying great expense to construct and operate a refueling station here. Yes, it will bring us good profits, but not if we must split the revenue."

I smiled. "Of course," I said, "We understand the initial expenditures are substantial. We could accept that, of our 50% share of revenue, after operating expenses, we could pay you 80% until we have paid back half of the construction costs. In other words, you would take 90% of the net operating profit until you have recouped half of your initial capital outlay. At that point, we would have both paid for half of the station, and we would each take and keep half of the returns." I tilted my head sharply to the side, imitating the gesture he had used when awaiting a response.

He looked at me in silence for some time. "You are more clever than you look, King Tim. No offense intended. We could work with terms like that. Perhaps you can throw in the right to produce and market coffee throughout the GU?"

"No, but we might reach a similar partnership deal for coffee. Did you know that there are many different types of coffee beans, and if grown in different climates they have different flavors and aromas? I'm told you can synthesize each one accurately, but according to GU trade rules, local plants, animals, technologies, and other unique products are the intellectual property of the resident civilization. The right to sell or reproduce them is solely reserved for local governmental authorities or those whom they assign. I'm sure with your GU connections, our coffee partnership could start generating substantial cash pretty quickly – with pretty low initial expenses. Earth, as it happens, suffers an embarrassing lack of Galactic Union credits at the moment and we would be willing to entertain a 60-40 split, in your favor, if you could arrange a small advance on future income."

He smiled back at me, more genuinely this time. "Perhaps that could be arranged, especially if you would be spending any portion of those credits in buying equipment from us."

"I would indeed," I said, "but I'd also be interested in buying technology and scientific knowledge from the appropriate rights-holders, perhaps with an agent's commission for your assistance. I've taken the liberty of preparing a series of contracts with the help of the Earth Base system, of course." I began sliding the individual sets of documents over to him.

He took a long drink from his coffee mug and sat back giving me an appraising look. Then he picked up the stack of papers and began peeling off the top one and placing it face down on the table, after glancing at each page long enough for his computer assistant to record the text and begin analyzing the contracts, creating full business plans with pro-forma income statements based on up to the minute market conditions. My Earth Base system had told me this is what he would do (and had done for me the day before). I could almost hear the numbers going "Ka-ching!" in Earth Friend's head as his smile grew even broader.

For me, the numbers had been almost meaningless until they were converted into dark energy generators, orbital defense platforms, and other sundry alien technologies that I could buy to eventually bring Earth up to the level of the advanced civilizations that comprise the Galactic Union.

Now, I just had to figure out how to introduce all of that to Earth without anyone knowing it came from an eight-year-old pretending to be the King of Earth while trading planets to aliens.