PART VII:

Corporate Restructuring

The Company faced the monumental task of restructuring its entire operation to function in the new legal environment. Victor Grego, demonstrating the adaptability that had made him successful, immediately began working on salvage operations.

The Company still owned its physical assets: the buildings, the mining equipment, the processing facilities, the landing fields. It still had valuable relationships and expertise. It would lose its monopolies, certainly, but it could compete as one company among many. The sunstone trade alone, if properly managed, could keep the Company profitable.

The real challenge was political and social. The Company's reputation had been severely damaged by the trial. The frameup attempt, the revelation of the naval intelligence penetration, and Dr. Mallin's testimony had all painted the Company as an entity willing to suppress truth and manipulate evidence to protect its interests.

Grego understood that the Company's long-term survival depended on rebuilding trust. The Company would need to be seen as a responsible corporate citizen, respectful of the Fuzzies and cooperative with the new colonial government that would inevitably be established.

There would be investigations, certainly. Questions would be asked about the Company's finances, its relationship with former Resident General Emmert, and various irregular practices that had been tolerated under the old system. The Company would need to cooperate fully, accept whatever penalties were imposed, and demonstrate a commitment to operating within the new legal framework.

The Verdict

The court's decision was unanimous and unequivocal. After hearing testimony from naval scientists, psychologists, linguists, and other experts, and after observing the Fuzzies directly—watching them use tools, communicate with each other, solve problems, and interact meaningfully with humans—the three-judge panel issued their ruling.

The species known as Fuzzy fuzzy holloway zarathustra was declared to be a race of sapient beings, entitled to all the rights and protections accorded to sapient life under Federation law.

The legal consequences were immediate and devastating to the Company. Zarathustra was reclassified as a Class-IV inhabited planet. The Zarathustra Company's charter was automatically voided. The Company retained ownership of infrastructure it had built and could continue to operate as a business entity, but its exclusive rights to the planet's resources were terminated. The vast tracts of land the Company had claimed were now public domain.

Jack Holloway was acquitted of all charges. His killing of Kurt Borch was ruled justifiable homicide, as Borch had been attempting to kill Holloway while Holloway was lawfully defending a sapient being from attack.

Scientific Interests

The Company's scientific division, despite the embarrassment of the trial, retained significant expertise in xeno-biology and xeno-psychology. There was still much to learn about Fuzzies. Their reproductive biology was mysterious; they seemed to have very few young relative to their adult population. Their dietary requirements were unusual; they showed a marked preference for Extee Three, a synthetic emergency ration, suggesting possible nutritional deficiencies in their natural diet.

Understanding Fuzzy biology and psychology was not merely academic. If the Company wanted to operate successfully on Zarathustra, it needed to understand the Fuzzies. What attracted them? What dangers did they face? How could they be safely integrated into areas of human habitation and industry?

Ernst Mallin, despite his role in the trial, remained a valuable scientist. His expertise would be essential in the research ahead. The fact that he had ultimately told the truth under veridication might even work in his favor. He had been honest when it mattered most.

The New Reality

The Company's old model—treating Zarathustra as an empty world to be exploited—was finished. The new model would be more complex, more regulated, and less profitable in the short term. But it might still be sustainable.

The Company had advantages. It had the infrastructure already in place. It had experienced personnel who understood the planet's ecology and resources. It had established relationships with suppliers and customers. It had name recognition and a reputation (at least before the trial) for competence.

What the Company needed to do was embrace the new reality rather than resist it. Become the company that protected Fuzzies rather than threatened them. Be the corporation that demonstrated you could develop a planet's resources while respecting its native inhabitants. Make Zarathustra a model for responsible development.

Victor Grego, in his private moments, might have cursed Jack Holloway for finding those Fuzzies, and Bennett Rainsford for recognizing their significance, and Leonard Kellogg for his catastrophic failure to handle the situation appropriately. But Grego was above all a pragmatist. The situation was what it was. The question now was how to navigate it successfully.