Free The Star Cross: The Dark Invaders by Raymond L. Weil

to get into a fight with one unless he wanted to end up
with a broken arm or worse. The Controller was easily seven feet tall and
humanoid. His head was slightly larger than normal and completely bald. The
Controller’s eyes were of normal size, though his lips were a little thinner. His
body was slim, and his hands had six long digits. He was also a little pale, as
if he very seldom saw any sunlight.
    “You are the
Humans from Newton?” asked the Controller as he called up information on his
computer.
    “Yes,” Kurt
replied. “We’ve come to Kubitz to conduct some business.”
    The Controller
nodded as he continued to access his data screen. Then he stopped and seemed to
be examining something. “A fine has been levied against your planet.”
    “A fine?” said
Kurt, growing suspicious. “For what?”
    “The planet
Julbian has been claimed by High Profiteer Creed and his clan. Contracts have
been filed and fees paid, giving High Profiteer Creed full control of any
wealth he finds in that system. From this report, your people have interfered
and not allowed Creed to fulfill his contract.”
    Kurt took a
deep breath. He almost wished he had Grantz here to guide him through this. “My
planet doesn’t recognize High Profiteer Creed’s right to exploit the Julbian
System. My people are in the process of signing an agreement with the leaders
of the system where they will fall under our protection. We will also be doing
considerable trading with them.”
    The Controller
seemed taken aback by this statement. He studied more data on his screen. “Your
planet is not part of the Gothan Empire and not subject to our laws. However,
in order to do trade here, you are expected to recognize the validity of any
contracts on file and which have been approved by a Controller. It’s stated
very clearly here in Section 212, Paragraph 47, of the Contract Laws.”
    “Julbian is in
an area of space claimed by my people,” Kurt responded.
    “Has there
been a contract filed here on Kubitz specifying that?” asked the Controller.
    “No,”
confessed Kurt, wondering how big the fine would be.
    The Controller
studied more information on his screen before turning back toward Kurt. “Under Section
642, Paragraphs 7–18, any race not associated with the Gothan Empire may claim
specific regions of space where their interests lie. While this does not
prevent Profiteer clans from conducting business in those regions, it does
prevent heavy fines being levied against the aggrieved race if they resist
Profiteer raids. Do you wish to file a contract listing the area of space your
world claims an interest in? If you do so, I can lower the current fine
considerably. It will also prevent this from occurring in the future.”
    Kurt thought
furiously for several long moments on a response. “What is the current fine,
and how much will it be reduced?”
    “The current
fine is one hundred million credits, and, by filing a contract claiming
interests in the Julbian region of space, I can reduce it to a mere two
million. One other thing you must understand. Even though you file this
contract, Profiteer Creed still has the rights to conduct business on Julbian
as he sees fit. His contract predates anything you may file.”
    “How much will
it cost to file this contract?”
    “That depends
on the size of the region of space you claim an interest in. You have until
your ships leave Kubitz to file the contract. Failure to do so will result in a
debit to your account of the one hundred million credits. I would also
recommend that, if you have interests in other regions near your world, you
include them in the contract to prevent future misunderstandings.”
    Kurt let out a
deep sigh. “I’ll have our people begin working on the contract.”
    The Controller
pressed an icon on his screen, and a small computer disk popped out which he
handed to Kurt. “This disk contains the pertinent information on laying claim
to a region of space. The