Spinneret Read Free Page A

of elaborate trap?” Premier Sing of the People’s Republic asked. “I understand the Rooshrike are the ones who fired on the Celeritas. ”
    â€œAccording to the Ctencri, the Rooshrike simply act impulsively at times,” Saleh told him. “Apparently, they jumped to the wrong conclusion when the Celeritas didn’t give the proper identification signals. I’ve been assured that’s all straightened out now.”
    â€œLess likely a trap than a swindle,” Russia’s Liadov rumbled. “How much would the Rooshrike and the Ctencri want for this worthless lump of mud?”
    â€œNothing humans can live on is completely worthless,” President Allerton said mildly, a soft gleam in his eye.
    The Russian snorted.
    â€œThe cost actually isn’t that bad,” Saleh said. “It would come out to eighty million dollars’ worth of certain relatively rare elements—the list of acceptable purity levels is on the last page. For that we would get a hundred-year lease with renewal option.” He paused. “Which brings us to the reason I’ve asked you here tonight. The rental fee would only be the tip of the iceberg if we intend to actually do anything with this world. Homes would have to be built, crops planted, industries started, colonists screened and trained—it would be a tremendous project.”
    â€œAnd so you’ve come to us for money,” British Prime Minister Smythe-Walker put in dryly.
    â€œYes,” Saleh nodded without shame. “The UN budget can’t support something like this, let alone organize everything—we simply haven’t the funds or manpower. We would have to contract out parts of the operation, which would take even more money. So before I even bring this up to the Security Council and General Assembly, I need to know whether or not the money will be forthcoming from those who can afford it.”
    â€œWhy bother?” Liadov shrugged. “You ask a great deal for the privilege of flying the UN flag on a world with less economic value even than Venus. You would do better to fund expeditions to the Jovian moons.”
    â€œYou overstate the case somewhat,” Sing said, “but you are essentially correct. This world does not seem worth its cost.”
    â€œCrops won’t grow without traces of metal in the soil, for starters,” Nagata put in. “All food would need to be imported. And what could they export in exchange?”
    â€œOther minerals,” Allerton said, still skimming the report. “One of the continents appears to be ringed with underwater mineral deposits.”
    â€œWhat, silicates and such?” Smythe-Walker shook his head. “Sorry, John, but it’s hard to imagine any rock formations worth carting up a gravity well and across forty light-years of space. And there’s still the thing with food, unless you want to add a few tons of iron and manganese silicates to the soil before you plant.”
    â€œWhy not?” Allerton countered. “It’s not as impractical as you make it sound.”
    â€œNo—but it is expensive.” Smythe-Walker looked at Saleh. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe His Majesty’s government will be able to guarantee any support for such a project.”
    â€œHas it occurred to you—to any of you,” Allerton added, glancing around the table, “that this whole thing might be some sort of test? That our willingness to take on what seems to be a hopeless task may be how all those aliens out there judge our spirit and ingenuity?”
    â€œMore likely testing our intelligence,” Nagata murmured.
    â€œI have an idea,” Liadov spoke up. “As Mr. Allerton seems to be the only one of us interested in demonstrating mankind’s resolve to our new neighbors—and as he is so fond of invoking Yankee ingenuity as the solution to all our problems—I suggest we give the United