Worlds Spinning Round

Isoke Ngozi clambered down an old lava flow, the clawed pads of his pressure-suit armor the only thing holding him from crashing down the torturous slope. He had been alone on the mountain for hours. The faded yellow-gray of the night sky of Venus, unbroken cloud cover tinted orange by the dull glow of the ground, only emphasized that isolation. No one knew exactly where he was. Few knew he was out here at all. His friends, trapped in their tank-like crawler high on the slopes of this sporadically active volcano, were depending on him to find a support camp at the base of the mountain and start a rescue operation. Whether they could hold out longer than he was in doubt. The rough stone left scratches in the protective coating on the arms and legs of his suit but it didn’t matter. By the time the corrosives in the atmosphere could eat through that armor, he and his friends would all have been dead for days, at the least. And if he slipped.... He could spare neither the time nor the effort nor the attention from his careful descent to care. He scrambled painstakingly on. * * * "Trying to catch up." The well-dressed executive rarely let his anger show. This was one of those exceptions. "After we leave their remains in the dust, perhaps some of them will begin to understand. We don't have to catch up. We have different goals, so we were never behind. "They want to trade casserole dishes for shell knives. Like it was a yard sale. When we own the whole planet, we can sell off their trinkets for mad money. Museums can compete with private collectors. When we can afford our own ships, we can trade real estate leases for high tech. Earth will have no jurisdiction and no vested interest, and, as long as we present no threat, no motive to bother us. We will relieve them of their huddled masses, the poor, smart and willing. Earth will provide us with the means to do so. Also the smart and willing who aren't so poor. They may have to contribute to their passage. I doubt if Earth will. Oh, we’ll also take the rich and willing. They don't have to be smart. "After a while, we won't need their money. You realize how much of the Earth's surface can't be used because of salt water? Well, we won't have that problem. "Venture is always talking about spinoffs. Here's a big one. They sow, we reap."