King of All I Survey
Chapter 124: Extracting Earth’s Maximum Value

Chapter 124: Extracting Earth’s Maximum Value

"So, if you were to transport me to another inhabited planet, would you be able to implant the language so I could speak with them as soon as I arrive?" I asked Joe.

"Yes and no, While I can learn the language as soon as we decide you’re going there, it may not be possible for you to communicate directly. For example, some types of octopuses communicate with each other by a combination of changing the color and pattern of their skin and by emitting various chemical ’scents’ into the water. Some even uses a sophisticated system of touch and minute electrical impulses."

"Really? How cool is that?"

"It’s so cool, that even the Supreme Ruler of the Entire Earth Solar System and Nearby Space can’t do it, no matter how many lessons he has. There are just some forms of communication a human can’t directly participate in. For these, you’d need either a communication device or a proxy body."

"I could be an octopus?" I asked excitedly.

"No, an octopus doesn’t have a brain the way you do. It uses the nervous system in its eight tentacles to process like eight little networked brains that each carry out some pretty complex tasks on their own but also work together."

"Wow! Octopuses are way cooler than I thought!" I exclaimed.

"So, to communicate with something like an octopus, I’d create an octopus-like android that accompanied you as a translator."

"Oh, cool. So, one way or another, you’d be able to find a way for us to communicate."

"Yes."

"You should have just said that in the first place instead of trying to get me off-topic by all this talk of octopuses."

"I’d slap my forehead if I had one, right now," Joe said.

"So now that we know you are literally one with the universe," I couldn’t help smiling at that, "I guess that means we don’t really need to figure out how to find alien civilizations or inhabitable worlds. You already know where all of them are."

"How do other civilizations claim new worlds as being under their banner?"

"They must make an agreement with the leader of the world and register it with each of the Pan-galactic Treaty Members."

"So, once registered, the others agree to leave it alone?"

"Not exactly. Once registered, the finder has options. They can offer a contract of protection, declaring that they will use their military might to protect the new world, thus discouraging military incursion by others. If they decide not to, then the world is fair game for conquering, or other nations to offer protection. Typically, offers of protection are attached to contracts for exclusive trading rights."

"So," I asked, "if I had refused the offer from the Galactic Union’s agent, any other nation could have just swooped in and conquer us by force?"

"Yes, as could the Galactic Union itself."

"Whoa! Why do they bother wit the trade agreements, then? Why not just use force to take what they want?"

"Interesting question." Joe replied, "It is believed that an intact civilization has more to value to offer than a smoking husk or an actively hostile populace. So, let’s say the combined works of Beethoven are deemed to have value to certain other civilizations. Those might not be readily discovered by a conqueror. Similarly, hot chocolate drinks would be difficult to discover without local guidance. It is simply easier to extract maximum value from a cooperative population."

"And they are incentivized to offer as much of their world’s offerings as possible, as quickly as possible, in order to pay for ever more expensive protection contracts?"

"Yes. The Galactic Union is rather displeased at your reluctance to offer anything approaching the potential of Earth’s full product line. The limited-term bond issuance for certain products also gives them a finite window, after which they will either have to renegotiate further licensing terms, or they may withdraw protection within the bond duration and conquer you to retain them permanently."

"Wait, so by offering the shorter-term deals, I give them reason to attack us earlier?" A wave of panic washed over me. Had I been too smart for my own britches? I was trying to keep Earth’s value for the long term, rather than sell out all at once, but had I done just the opposite?

"Basically, yes. However, that assumes they can license, under some terms, the majority of Earth’s other products by then. It’s always a question of extracting maximum value, before jettisoning a world to the lesser empires."

"Ok, then, by withholding as many valuable products as possible from any licensing terms at all, we can preserve our value as an unconquered world?" I breathed a little sigh of relief, maybe my plan would work to buy us more time.

"Yes, but the pressure exerted by the increasing contractual costs of protection ensure that the new world will have to offer more and more to buy military protection from other potential conquerors. Obviously, if you have more potential value left when protection is withdrawn, you become a bigger target for raiders."

My brow furrowed in thought, "So, at some point, the Galactic Union says, ok, Earth isn’t giving us the value we want, so even though we don’t have everything, we’re pulling protection."

"Yes, and because they already have the best knowledge of Earth’s potential products, when Earth no longer has a protection contract, they can even use force to claim previously unlicensed products of which they were aware. Then, they can quickly withdraw so as to not be in the way of the other scavengers."

"That’s not good."

"No, not for Earth," Joe agreed.

Oh!" I brightened as an idea occurred to me, "Since we now have an exclusive new tech, namely the ability to use your full power for Earth..."

"If I agree with that use, as per our agreement," Joe corrected me.

"Yes, yes. But, without hurting any attacker," I paused to let him know I was considering and honoring the terms of our agreement, "you could, for example, ’relocate’ any attacking warships back to, say, their home world every time they tried to attack us."

"So, Earth would be, essentially, in a state of war with every other military power in the galaxy, forever. Relying on me, to fend off attackers. You’d lose access to licensed technologies from other civilizations. I won’t violate licensing strictures."

"There are ways around that with your powers," I suggested.

"Perhaps... perhaps, not. I get to choose my actions, remember. In either case, Earth would be isolated, a perpetual target and a pariah among galactic civilizations. I don’t believe that’s in your best interests as a species. Do you?"

"Well, it’s better than having our planet turned into a smoking ruin with a scavengers running around looking for anything of value left over," I said scowling.

"I’m sure a true leader could find other solutions, King Tim."

My scowl deepened. "Tell me more about protection contracts? Do they apply to just our home world, or is the entire solar system covered."

"The standard Galactic Union contract covers the protected civilization’s members, worlds they inhabit with the solar system, since destruction of the sun or Jupiter would effectively destroy Earth as well."

"What if the protected species has already expanded to other solar systems? Or maybe has offered their own protection to another undiscovered civilization?"

"Hmmm. Well, the contract would clearly cover any world inhabited by your species, regardless of location. It prevents other empires or the protector from declaring war or attacking you. If your contract with the other new worlds declared that any attack on them, is considered a declaration of war against Earth... They would be contractually obligated to leave that world alone, and, in fact, protect it as if it were Earth under the terms of their contract."

"However, renewal of that original protection contract might be more problematic. Either multiplying in cost or being offered with certain amendments that preclude such arrangements."

"I see," I said as a new plan began to form in my mind. "You know, though, Earth could, with your help, effective prevent any future new worlds from being contracted to the existing empires. All we have to do is get their first and put them under contract with us."

"Imagine the size of the target you’d be painting on Earth..." Joe chided.

"Maybe, but if they didn’t know the locations of our protected worlds... We could have a sudden influx of valuable products, licensed from them, through Earth, to the Galactic Union. It could be such a continuously growing value stream, that giving us protection was their best choice for maximizing value. Even if they wiped us out, it would take them millennia to find and start getting new value from all the worlds, we were dealing with."

Another thought occurred to me, "Joe, we could even make deals with worlds or even empires in other galaxies altogether! Ones that are completely out of reach for the Galactic Union!"

"You do know why they want the refueling station at Jupiter, don’t you?" Joe asked.

"It’s a stepping stone for reaching the empty space outside the galaxy so they can conduct experiments away from the gravity well of our galaxy..." Suddenly, I realized what the purpose of that might be. "They’re trying to make longer interdimensional jumps without the gravitic interference that currently limits the distance of each jump! They want to reach other galaxies!"

"Bingo!" Joe congratulated me on seeing the obvious.

"Well, if they figure it out, maybe they’ll find me waiting for them in Andromeda or wherever!" I declared.

"Maybe they will," Joe agreed.

"All right, Joe. I need a list of uncontacted worlds in our own galaxy first. Ones with early civilizations, and life-bearing worlds without intelligent species, which might have valuable products. Or wait, worlds that might be suitable for human colonization! Oh boy, Joe! This is going to be epic!"

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