Powersat

Kyoto, Japan

Saito Yamagata sat on his haunches upon the tatami mat before the low table, which was lacquered to such a luster he could see his reflection in it. The five other men around the table were all older than Yamagata, white or gray-haired, some of them balding, one of them with his scalp deliberately shaved in the manner of an old samurai. Each of them wore Western business suits, either dark gray or dark blue.

Delicate cups for tea were set at each place, although there was no servant in the room to pour. This meeting was held under the tightest security.

The industrial might of Japan, Yamagata thought. Representatives of the nation’s five major corporations. Their joint worth was in the trillions of yen. They ran the government, they ran Japan’s major industries, and they ran Yamagata as well.

Saito had no problem with the arrangement. It was all as it should be, he thought. I take the risks of this new enterprise in space. If it fails, it is my fault, not theirs. If it succeeds, they become wealthier and more powerful. If it succeeds, Japan becomes the energy source for the world and the Middle East becomes a backwater once again.

The would-be samurai, kneeling at the head of the table, was saying, “The American effort has met two severe setbacks this month. Their experimental rocket plane crashed during a test flight, and their hydrogen facility exploded, killing their chief engineer.”

“That would be three setbacks, then,” murmured the oldest man at the table.

“Your arithmetic is impeccable,” said the samurai, dipping his head in agreement The others laughed.

The elder looked toward Yamagata, at the foot of the table. “These regrettable accidents will drive your competitor from the field, I suppose.”

Yamagata took in a hissing breath before replying, “Perhaps not The American is tenacious almost to the point of foolhardiness. I know him well.”

“He worked for you several years ago,” said one of the others.

“Yes. I came to like him. I still do.”

“But he is a competitor.”

“True,” said Yamagata, thinking: A valuable competitor. Without Dan Randolph’s mad drive to build an American powersat, these five old men would still be dithering over financing my corporation.

“Can he be eliminated now?”

Yamagata said, “He is in financial need. My information is that he has agreed to sell a small percentage of his company to Tricontinental Oil in order to raise the capital he needs to continue.”

“Garrison?” asked one of the men, clearly shocked at the news.

“Garrison,” replied Yamagata, in a near whisper.

The samurai said, “If Tricontinental gains control of the American power satellite they have the resources to push the project through to completion.”

“And do it at least three years before our own satellite can begin operating.”

“This is unwelcome. Not acceptable,” said the elder.

“The deal with Garrison has not been finalized,” Yamagata told them, “although it is moving swiftly toward completion.”

“Can it be stopped?”

“Is there something we can do to stop it?”

Yamagata waited, head bowed, until they ceased their chatter and all turned to him.

“I believe I have a solution,” he said meekly.

No one spoke, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Yamagata began to explain, “The American powersat is almost completed. What Randolph needs more than anything else is transportation to and from the satellite. That is why he was developing the rocket plane.”

“But it crashed.”

“Just so,” Yamagata said. “That leaves Dan Randolph with the problem of getting people and material to his satellite in the most economical manner possible.”

“He can use NASA shuttles, can’t he?”

Suppressing a smile, Yamagata replied, “The American government does not interact well with private companies. They suspect that any organization which strives to make a profit is somehow crooked and must be dealt with at arm’s length.”

A few chuckles and grins went around the table.

“It would take Randolph many months, perhaps a year or more, before he could work out an agreement with NASA to rent space on their shuttles. That is, assuming that NASA would deal with him at all. In my estimation, NASA simply does not have the capacity to accomplish its own missions and add Randolph’s workload as well.”

“Then NASA is out.”

“It would seem so,” said Yamagata. “That means Randolph must go to one or more of the private launch companies in the United States or Russia.”

“What about the European Space Agency?”

“Their launch capabilities are limited and fully booked,” said Yamagata. “No, Randolph must go to a private company in the States or Russia.” He hesitated a heartbeat, then added, “Or Japan.”

“Ahhh,” said the samurai. “I begin to understand.” Even the elder, normally sour and gruff, allowed himself a slight smile.

“I could propose a strategic partnership with Randolph. Yamagata rockets will provide transportation to and from his satellite. The money he takes from Garrison can go into the development of his spaceplane.”

“And what do we gain from this?”

Yamagata closed his eyes for a moment. At last he said, “We gain a share of the spaceplane. Perhaps a license to build it here in Japan. With such an advanced transportation system we could shave perhaps a full year off the development of our own power satellite. And reduce our costs significantly.”

“But the American spaceplane is a failure. It crashed.”

“It crashed,” Yamagata agreed. “Most new aircraft crash. Most new rockets blow up. But the spaceplane is basically sound. And valuable.”

The five older men rocked back on their haunches. No one broke into applause or even hissed appreciatively, but Yamagata knew he had won the day.