simply pass the cost on to our customers.”
“That’s something I can’t do,” Dan muttered.
“You mean that the government of Venezuela will not allow you to do it.”
Dan smiled at his old friend. “Right. I don’t own the operation, I just make the decisions and run the show.”
“A twenty-five percent increase in your costs would undoubtedly drive your operation into the red.”
“And how!”
“Then what do you propose to do?”
“Get around them.”
“How?”
Dan turned his gaze from his friend’s careworn face to the snowy mountains in the distance, then looked back at Yamagata again. “You know me, Sai. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. …”
“To wherever the going is easier,” Yamagata finished for him. “Yes, I remember your motto. But where will the going be easier for you?”
“The asteroids.”
Yamagata drew in his breath with an audible hiss. “Ahh. I should have guessed.”
“For every ounce of raw materials on the Moon, there’s tons and tons of the same stuff in the asteroids.”
“And heavy metals, as well.”
“Damned right! Enough iron in one little asteroid to feed Japan’s steel industry for twenty years.”
“And there are thousands of such asteroids.”
“Millions of ‘em!” Dan said. “Sai, some of the smaller ones-just a few hundred meters across-are worth ten billion dollars apiece, easily. Not to mention what the mile-long ones are worth.”
“An expedition to the asteroids will be very costly, though,”
Yamagata mused. “And time-consuming. They lie beyond the orbit of Mars, don’t they?”
“Most of them,” Dan agreed. “But a few of them come closer. A lot closer. Some of them even cross Earth’s orbit.”
“So? You propose to reach one of these closer rocks?”
“Yes. Reach it and bring it back to Nueva Venezuela for processing.”
“A daring plan. I had expected nothing less from you, my old friend.”
Dan accepted it as a compliment. He took a sip of the hot, clear tea, then put the fragile cup back on the tray before him. His thighs were beginning to ache slightly; he had not sat cross-legged like this for so long in many years.
He took a deep breath, almost letting the air hiss between his teeth in the Japanese way of showing respect. “You probably know what I’m going to ask for next, Sai.”
Yamagata gave a grunting, chuckling laugh. “Money, what else?”
“I need your help.”
“Yes. Even to capture a nearby asteroid will require a considerable investment.”
“I thought perhaps Yamagata Industries and Astro Manufacturing could go half and half. …”
“Yamagata Industries can do nothing,” the Japanese said. But before Dan could object, he smiled and raised a placating hand. “There are certain delicacies to be observed, you see.”
Dan raised his eyebrows.
“I too am faced with a government that is reluctant to incur the anger of the Soviet Union. Even with Chinese protection, the government of Japan moves very cautiously in such matters.”
“The goddamned Russians have got everybody bullied,” Dan grumbled.
“But there are certain affiliates of Yamagata Industries which operate in Okinawa and the Philippine Islands,” Yamagata explained. “They, in turn, have associates in Europe. You would have no objection if your funding comes from a Swiss bank, would you?”
Grinning, Dan replied, “None whatsoever. Not even the Russians have been able to buffalo the gnomes of Zurich.”
“Good. We can discuss the exact terms and other details later.”
“I’m heading back to Caracas tomorrow, Sai.”
“Yes, I thought you would be. I must attend a director’s meeting tomorrow, in Osaka.”
“So we’ll have to talk out the details before we both head our separate ways.”
Yamagata nodded. “After dinner, then. For the present I want you to meet my son.”
“Nobuhiko? I thought he’d be out skiing.”
“He is here.” Yamagata clapped his hands once. “We have been quite
“That’s something I can’t do,” Dan muttered.
“You mean that the government of Venezuela will not allow you to do it.”
Dan smiled at his old friend. “Right. I don’t own the operation, I just make the decisions and run the show.”
“A twenty-five percent increase in your costs would undoubtedly drive your operation into the red.”
“And how!”
“Then what do you propose to do?”
“Get around them.”
“How?”
Dan turned his gaze from his friend’s careworn face to the snowy mountains in the distance, then looked back at Yamagata again. “You know me, Sai. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. …”
“To wherever the going is easier,” Yamagata finished for him. “Yes, I remember your motto. But where will the going be easier for you?”
“The asteroids.”
Yamagata drew in his breath with an audible hiss. “Ahh. I should have guessed.”
“For every ounce of raw materials on the Moon, there’s tons and tons of the same stuff in the asteroids.”
“And heavy metals, as well.”
“Damned right! Enough iron in one little asteroid to feed Japan’s steel industry for twenty years.”
“And there are thousands of such asteroids.”
“Millions of ‘em!” Dan said. “Sai, some of the smaller ones-just a few hundred meters across-are worth ten billion dollars apiece, easily. Not to mention what the mile-long ones are worth.”
“An expedition to the asteroids will be very costly, though,”
Yamagata mused. “And time-consuming. They lie beyond the orbit of Mars, don’t they?”
“Most of them,” Dan agreed. “But a few of them come closer. A lot closer. Some of them even cross Earth’s orbit.”
“So? You propose to reach one of these closer rocks?”
“Yes. Reach it and bring it back to Nueva Venezuela for processing.”
“A daring plan. I had expected nothing less from you, my old friend.”
Dan accepted it as a compliment. He took a sip of the hot, clear tea, then put the fragile cup back on the tray before him. His thighs were beginning to ache slightly; he had not sat cross-legged like this for so long in many years.
He took a deep breath, almost letting the air hiss between his teeth in the Japanese way of showing respect. “You probably know what I’m going to ask for next, Sai.”
Yamagata gave a grunting, chuckling laugh. “Money, what else?”
“I need your help.”
“Yes. Even to capture a nearby asteroid will require a considerable investment.”
“I thought perhaps Yamagata Industries and Astro Manufacturing could go half and half. …”
“Yamagata Industries can do nothing,” the Japanese said. But before Dan could object, he smiled and raised a placating hand. “There are certain delicacies to be observed, you see.”
Dan raised his eyebrows.
“I too am faced with a government that is reluctant to incur the anger of the Soviet Union. Even with Chinese protection, the government of Japan moves very cautiously in such matters.”
“The goddamned Russians have got everybody bullied,” Dan grumbled.
“But there are certain affiliates of Yamagata Industries which operate in Okinawa and the Philippine Islands,” Yamagata explained. “They, in turn, have associates in Europe. You would have no objection if your funding comes from a Swiss bank, would you?”
Grinning, Dan replied, “None whatsoever. Not even the Russians have been able to buffalo the gnomes of Zurich.”
“Good. We can discuss the exact terms and other details later.”
“I’m heading back to Caracas tomorrow, Sai.”
“Yes, I thought you would be. I must attend a director’s meeting tomorrow, in Osaka.”
“So we’ll have to talk out the details before we both head our separate ways.”
Yamagata nodded. “After dinner, then. For the present I want you to meet my son.”
“Nobuhiko? I thought he’d be out skiing.”
“He is here.” Yamagata clapped his hands once. “We have been quite
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