The Tinker's Toy
Ward C. Tipton
Tink Lochs started working for the trade federation right out of college. He started out as a legal assistant in the legal department for litigation and complaints. His job was to review litigation and complaints against the trade federation by the sponsoring corporations and the colonists. He would then annotate them with any and all of the proper and relevant laws, by-laws, rules, regulations and requirements and forward them to the proper legal department for adjudication. Six years later, here he was, performing the same mundane and routine tasks on a daily basis.
Unlike many people who get lost in a single cubicle among thousands of others just like it and seemingly forgotten as long as they continue to perform the duties which are expected of them; Tink had never become disillusioned. He still believed in the federation and the work and services that they performed and provided for the Planetary Inhabitation Project Colonies. The PIP colonies provided many benefits to both the trade federation and the people of earth. In exchange, colonists were given the opportunity to own land without any cost to them. As much land as they could control or care for was there for the taking.
As a direct result of his work for the federation, Tink had an intimate knowledge of all of the red tape that kept the massive gears turning smoothly. He understood that sometimes individuals had to suffer a bit in order to maintain the greater good. It really was quite that simple. It was harsh in some ways but it was a necessary part of doing business. If a vendor found himself in the position of having a monopoly on a colony, that was fine as long as they did not abuse the situation to take advantage of the others there. If a corporation was found to be in violation of the laws, they too were held equally accountable. Anybody openly trying to maintain a monopoly or any type of abusive control was subject to fines and penalties including the loss of everything that they owned or even their corporate autonomy.
It was not that the federation was inherently evil, it was just that everything had to operate according to the way it worked. There was no room for personal involvement and no margin for error. It was inevitable that there would be some costs and losses but the way things were done kept that to a minimum. There were all manner of laws and rules, never mind the fact that the trade federation was the very one who implemented them.
If it was difficult to operate one multi-faceted corporation, how much more difficult would it be to coordinate the logistics and support for tens of thousands of those corporations. If it was difficult to run one government, how much more so would it be to coordinate the operations of just as many micro-government systems such as those on the PIP colonies. Tink not only understood why everything worked the way that it did but he also still enjoyed his job. Frequently he would stay at work late to review cases that interested him. If he was guilty of anything, it was constantly dreaming. Still, even if he did allow his mind to wander, it was mostly on his own time and he had never missed a day's work and always met his quotas.
His clearance level did not give him a complete breakdown of all of the adjudication reports but it did let him see what the rulings had been. These were usually accompanied by letters of explanation to the corporation or colonist, so he had a pretty good idea what they were saying and why they had ruled the way they had. Besides, the better Tink could do his job, the better chance he had to get an actual office someday, even if he did have to share it with a lot of other people. While Tink had never been overly ambitious, he did believe that there was more to life than just this one little cubicle among thousands of others just like it. Tink was not the most intelligent person in the worlds but neither was he stupid. He graduated safely enough, deep in the middle of his class. He worked in a mid-level job that provided a fairly comfortable, if somewhat boring middle-class lifestyle. The only thing that really set him aside from the thousands of others there, was his tendency to dream.
Over the course of years, Tink began to see patterns forming. He knew what kind of problems certain types of corporations and colonists were going to be facing. He found himself dreaming more and more about what it must be like for all those people. One month in particular, Tink spent so much time dreaming that he barely made his quota. Fearing any possibility of losing his mid-level job with it's mid-level pay, Tink had to devise a means to quit dreaming at work. In order to facilitate his constant dreaming while maintaining his efficiency at work, Tink started his own little game.
Tink began creating his own map of the colonies. It was not a physical map showing locations, but more of a reference regarding leaders, sponsoring corporations and any information that he could find out about the settlers who were there. He frequently stayed late and followed up cases on his own time in order to fill in all the blanks that he could. When he got home, he would sit there with a cold cola and put together all of the information that he had. That gave him time to dream on his own time while still being able to get all of his work done when he was supposed to. What started out as a simple game designed only to keep his mind from wandering too far quickly turned into a comprehensive analysis. One day, Tink was scanning a copy of a regularly heard complaint from vendors of large and bulky items. It was not the case itself that caught his attention however.
Tink knew the complaint by heart. He knew every law and regulation that had to be filled in without even thinking about it, much less having to spend time looking them all up. What interested him however, was that the argument was followed up by solutions that not only looked possible, they looked profitable as well. Tink had no delusions about changing the course of all of the known worlds, but he was interested to see how the trade federation would respond to this case. While he had no way to know it at the time, that one little case was going to change substantially more than just his life.
This particular complaint was filed as a “Motion of Unfair Trading Practices Resulting in Substantial Financial Loss to the Vendor. The case opened with all of the complaints that Tink was all too familiar with. He could pick out enough key words by scanning the document to read most of it in a matter of seconds. When he got to the addendum, he read it very carefully a couple of times. The following deposition is what got his own wheels turning.
Pertinent Facts Relevant to the Case:
To: The Adjudication Council of the Trade Federation
RE: Case #PIPMC1842739-UTP-RFA
I fully understand the current limitations and restrictions in regards to the capacity of goods that a Trade Federation Vendor is allowed to order. I further understand that the Trade Federation has dealt quite fairly in this matter. Despite that fact, I am certain that the Council, in its wisdom, is able to see that due to circumstances beyond the control of any of the involved parties, certain merchants must inevitably suffer financial harm despite the best efforts to minimize the impact and offset certain losses.
I also fully understand the necessity for such strict regulations regarding the use of corporate vessels for the transportation of mercantile goods. The use of corporate vessels would quickly create economic microcosms which would open up many opportunities for corruption and abuse. Once again, you have acted wisely and benevolently on behalf of all of the parties involved. After a careful review of all of the legalities regarding such matters, I duly request that the Trade Federation implement either one of the following solutions. Such solutions will provide many benefits and free up valuable resources that can be better utilized elsewhere. It will also afford the Trade Federation the opportunity to create a new and more profitable means of conducting business among the PIP colonies.
One:
The creation of a Trade Federation fleet expressly designed and purposed to establish direct trade routes among the PIP colonies.
Two:
If the Trade Federation is either unwilling or incapable of financing such a venture at this time, the establishment of a publicly or privately held corporation to be formed to establish just such a business venture.
Please see the attached documentation for the pertinent laws and additional documentation for a list of the benefits directly resulting from these proposals.
With humble regards,
Fortu Will
Trade Federation Vendor
Maroud Colony
Tink viewed and reviewed all of the attached forms, documents and references very carefully. He did not know who this person was but he certainly had to give him credit for doing his homework. Everything was right there for the taking. This would certainly result in a profitable new venture he was certain. He marked the case for a return and a follow up and thought only about opening up the next case. His mind was busy, but not on his work. His thoughts were coming together but not on the next case. Unfortunately for Tink, he started dreaming.
The next few weeks like most of Tink’s life, passed by uneventfully. He showed up to work, usually stayed late and gathered information for his game so that he could go home, have a cold cola and dream without getting in trouble. While his thoughts always wandered, he was very careful never to let them wander too far off in any direction that was not related to his work. When the follow up returned to his cubicle, he initially remembered it only as one of many that he had flagged out of a personal interest. It was one of many that he would use to fill in another series of blanks on his game. That was how he remembered it at first at least. When he opened it up, he read the report again. His mind began to drift ever so slowly as he read the decree of the adjudication council.
To: Fortu Will
RE: Case #PIPMC1842739-UTP-RFA
Colonist Will,
We appreciate your keen understanding of both the law and the difficulties facing the Trade Federation. As you are no doubt well aware, many cases similar in nature to your own are brought to us on a daily basis. While your research is sound, it is not feasible at this point in time for the Trade Federation to undertake such an endeavor. Please understand that we have given a substantial amount of time and consideration to your proposals and solutions. While it may seem like a relatively simple task to someone who is not fully aware of the level of complexity involved, the research alone would take years to complete. We greatly appreciate the sacrifices you are making for your fellow colonists, the sponsoring corporation as well as for the trade federation. However, at this time it is not possible for us to track the needs and surpluses of each colony individually. That being the case, there is certainly no means for us to establish a fleet in order to meet those requirements. We hope that you will continue to understand the difficulty and the magnitude of the work we are doing on behalf of all of the interested parties.
In the meantime, we have also carefully reviewed all of your legal arguments considering the formation of a privately held corporation to undertake this project. If you have the capacity for such a concentrated effort, please feel free to proceed with our blessings.
In thanks for your service
The Trade Federation Adjudication Council
After Tink read the reply, he knew exactly what he had to do. Surely this would get him recognized. He thought out each argument in exacting detail as he proceeded with his plan. He included a brief synopsis of his “game” and sent messages out to all of the right people in all of the right departments. He allowed himself a brief moment of pride when he completed his task. Maybe he would even get an office, even if he did have to share it.
“An office!” He spat the words out in bitter disgust. The only reason that he had not been fired was because after twelve years he always met his quotas and never missed a day's work. What he got was written and verbal warnings about everything that he had been doing. He was warned about playing games on company time despite the fact that all of that work had been done on his own time. He was told directly by the supervisor of the legal department that he was very close to losing his mid-level job with the mid-level pay that supported his middle-class lifestyle. Questioning the rulings of the council was the worst possible mistake that he could have ever made. As Tink was leaving the supervisor's office, he was told in no uncertain terms that he was on a short leash at the top of the short list. Tink had only wanted to give them everything that they needed, served up nicely on a silver platter. The only thing that had been served up had been his head.
Tink became absolutely paranoid at work. His mind wandered more than ever and he found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. He knew if there was an axe to grind or a head to roll, it would be his. He thought about how difficult it was to find good jobs in the city where he lived. He realized with a great sense of fear that the only thing he knew was Trade Federation laws, by-laws, rules, regulations and requirements and everything about the PIP colonies from his game. As he planned, he thought and as he thought, he dreamed. As he dreamed, he planned. It was a vicious cycle that resulted in some really crazy ideas.
Tink still had no major ambition or delusions about changing the known worlds; he just wanted to be able to support his relatively comfortable, if somewhat mundane lifestyle. He did not however, relish the idea of being homeless or out of work in this city. He knew he did not have much to lose but he was losing it quickly. Seeing that he was quickly running out of time and any other options, Tink began acting on those crazy thoughts.
Tink contacted every bank that he could find. Most of them never got back to him at all. Those few that did mostly did so only in order to share a good laugh at his expense. More often than not, those meetings only resulted in his being thrown out ... usually quickly and almost always in quite a rude fashion. It did not take long before he had run out of banks to get kicked out of. Seeing no other openings for someone like him, he continued with his plan and began trying to find private investors.
On this particular day, Tink was going to one of the few investors who had actually gotten enough information to make an informed decision and knew that his plan was solid. Tink arrived a full half an hour early hoping to make a good impression. He was already late by the time he got through all of the security checkpoints and sign in counters. When he finally did find the conference room he was looking for, he was a full half hour late. When he entered, he found it difficult to concentrate on anything but the scene in front of him.
The carpet was a plush burgundy and black. Tink absentmindedly wondered what it would feel like on his bare feet. The table looked to be about thirty feet long and carved out of a single piece of wood. The recessed lighting reflected off of it in subtle shades of red and black. The chairs, he was quite certain, were real leather. The studs holding the material down looked to be made out of solid gold. Only when someone cleared their throat very loudly did he actually look up to see who was there. What he saw gave him no comfort at all. Around the large table sat a group of very old and stern looking men all in black suits. Thinking to greet each one of them individually, Tink started at the right side of the table and began working his way around, nodding at each man individually. He had not made it very far when a very loud and intrusive voice shattered his thoughts. “Well get on with it man! We haven't got all day you know!” When Tink looked up to put a face to the voice, he was distracted by the lady sitting on the man's right side. In stark contrast with the old men in the room, she was young and seemingly very attractive. She had on what seemed to be an exceptionally white dress that stood out apart from all of the black suits. Before long, he found himself in the all-too-familiar position of being quite rudely escorted out the door. As he was being led out, he wondered how an organ as small as the human ear could be manipulated in such a fashion as to make him emit an audible cry.
