Technobabel (8 page)

"I am here today to bring to the attention of the Court a danger to that delicate balance. Renraku Computer Systems has made considerable advances in their research and development recently, for which they are to be commended. But Renraku’s advancements come through channels other than accepted means. Fuchi Industrial Electronics wishes to formally require Renraku Computer Systems to present documentation of their research and development of these new technologies, on the grounds that Renraku is in violation of the concords of this Court regarding industrial espionage against Fuchi and other members of this Court, particularly involving the aid of Miles Lanier, formerly an employee of Fuchi and now a shareholder and member of the Renraku board of directors. We are prepared to present evidence that such a full disclosure is warranted and in the best interests of the corporate community. Thank you."

Osborne carefully lowered herself back into her place and gripped the edge of the bench to steady
herself
while Paco Napoli, still the very model of composure, leaned back a bit and took a deep breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am fortunate," he began, choosing his words carefully. "I am in the employ of a corporation producing the finest developments in computer and Matrix technology in the world, and business is good. For that, I am grateful to Renraku’s brilliant research and development department. I am also fortunate that the burden of proof lies not with Renraku, but with Fuchi Industrial Electronics and their misplaced claim that Renraku Computer Systems has acted in any way other than according to the guidelines set out by this august Court.

"It is certainly true that Renraku has made great strides forward in the marketplace in the past few years, and may have done so at the expense of some of Fuchi’s business.

But that is the way of the fair trade and competition we are chartered to preserve. Renraku’s developments and success are not crimes, and we have violated no corporate law. Renraku Computer Systems cannot be condemned simply on the basis of its financial success, and it is up to Justice Osborne to produce any evidence that says otherwise. I am confident in the outcome of this Court’s findings."

Napoli
indicated he was finished with a slight nod of his head toward Chief Justice Priault, who tapped his gavel against the bench and turned back to Osborne so that she might present her case. Napoli just sat there, looking for
all the
world like he didn’t have a single worry about how things were going to go.

Don’t
be
so
smug,
Paco,
Osborne thought as she punched up a display on her console.
When
this
is
all
done
and
you
see
what
we’ve
got
on
Renraku,
you’ll
be
lucky
if
they
let
you
walk
home
from
here
.

Lynn Osborne rose from her position behind the bench. She blithely ignored Napoli’s smug look of confidence and did her best to project an air of quiet competence. For her case to be successful, she needed to start with a rational argument, the same kind of argument that had gotten Fuchi’s complaint against Renraku this far in the process, to the point where the case was actually being presented before the Court.

You’re
wrong
about
one
thing,
Paco,
Osborne thought with a quick glance at the Renraku justice’s swarthy face. The burden of proof did not rest solely with Fuchi and Osborne.

In an ideal universe it was certainly true that the
Corporate Court
held to the concept of "innocent until proven guilty," but the Court was not a court of law. The justices were not appointed by any government, and the corporations they represented were not subject to any government’s law. The megacorporations were laws unto themselves, which meant the
Corporate Court
, which settled disputes between them, was not bound by the rules and procedures of any legal system but their own. Osborne knew she didn’t need definite proof that Renraku was a threat to corporate stability, not if she could convince the other justices it was in everyone’s best interest to see Renraku humbled a bit.

"Fellow justices," she began. "I don’t need to remind you of our purpose, to sustain an environment of economic prosperity and growth for business. In order to accomplish our goal, the corporations we represent have agreed to certain terms and concords, including the banning of specific areas of technological development that could de-stabilize the profitable environment we are creating."

"Yes, yes, you’ve already made that clear, Ms. Osborne," said Marlene Carstairs. "Are you accusing Renraku Computer Systems of knowingly violating the concords?
And if so, which ones?"

Osborne bit back a retort directed at the Saeder-Krupp representative and stomached the interruption. She knew Carstairs was going to be difficult and she needed to win her over at least as much as any other Justice on the Court. She also needed to stall for time. If she could drag the preliminaries out long enough, Fuchi’s agent would be able to get her the proof she needed to turn the Court against Renraku. She only had to keep things going long enough.

"I am not bringing any accusations, Ms. Carstairs, only acting in the name of Fuchi Industrial Technologies. Fuchi has reason to suspect that Renraku has been illegally using resources available to them to acquire a leg-up over other megacorporations, particularly Fuchi. We believe Renraku has been involved in the exploitation of Miles Lanier’s knowledge of Fuchi Industrial Electronics to conduct illegal and covert operations against us to acquire research and development information from our facilities to allow them to push forward some of their own developments. Renraku’s actions have been in flagrant violation of the concords and standards of this Court and we are asking for appropriate action."

Point
one
for
me,
Osborne thought as the impact of her statements rippled through the room. All of the justices on the Court knew what every major corporate player did: espionage and shadowruns conducted by one corporation against another were just another part of doing business. But the justices also knew that the cardinal rule of shadowruns and black operations was "thou shalt not get caught." Although every corporation was aware that all of them were conducting industrial espionage against each other, the only way the
Corporate Court
and the megacorporations could function on a day-to-day basis was to pretend that nothing illegal was going on. As long as everyone kept their illegal activities quiet, nothing was to be said of them.

Osborne’s accusation could only mean Renraku had violated the unwritten law of not covering your tracks well enough. That meant that
either Renraku
was getting sloppy, in which case they deserved some kind of punishment to remind them to be more careful, or that Renraku was becoming so powerful or desperate that they didn’t care if they got caught. The latter was not a pleasant prospect. The megacorps all operated by a very delicate set of rules of conduct. If one of the most powerful megas was willing to flagrantly ignore those rules, it threatened a breakdown of the whole structure. No member of the
Corporate Court
could stand by and allow that to happen.

So long as Osborne could direct and control the fears she tapped into, there was a good chance of convincing the Court to act. The other justices were certainly not supporters of Renraku’s growth in the past months, but they also felt the need to follow procedure. It was procedures like the Court that allowed the megacorporations to coexist at all without being crippled by constant conflict. If Renraku was the one not following the rules, then Renraku would have to be punished, and Osborne could unite the other corps under Fuchi’s banner to do it. So long as she could keep things heading in the right direction.

"I am sure all of the members of this Court are familiar with how Miles Lanier came to be in possession of a substantial amount of Renraku stock and therefore entitled to a position on the corporation’s Board of Directors. I am sure you are also aware that Mr. Lanier’s departure from Fuchi was under less
than .
..
cordial
circumstances." That was certainly an understatement. Nearly everyone in the corporate world knew that Richard Villiers and Miles Lanier had ended a years-long friendship over Lanier’s departure from Fuchi. It had been the talk of the corporate gossip circuit for months.

"Mr. Lanier wasted no time in taking his talents and assets to Renraku once the reading of the dragon’s will confirmed him as a shareholder. Although Fuchi took every precaution against Mr. Lanier walking off with any valuable secrets and corporate security information, it still took some time for Fuchi to make all of the necessary arrangements, given the suddenness of President Dunkelzahn’s demise and Mr. Lanier’s departure. Even with some of the security modifications put in place by Richard Villiers himself, Miles Lanier remains a very capable man who is intimately familiar with Fuchi’s security protocols and procedures.

"Not long after Mr. Lanier took up his position on the board of Renraku, only a month in fact, the corporation released an upgrade to one of their intrusion countermeasure systems, the so-called ‘Black Samurai’ line. This upgrade bears strong similarities to designs Fuchi was working on at the time. The technical information on the two programs from our research department is available for your review from the main databanks. Not long after that, Renraku began releasing other products, nearly eighty percent of them in the same fields where Fuchi was engaged in development, with technical similarities to our prototypes. The
correlation of our findings are
also available for the Court’s review."

Doi from Mitsuhama spoke up when Osborne paused to let the members of the Court digest her words. "So you are accusing Renraku of engaging in espionage against your company with Miles Lanier’s help?"

"That’s correct," Osborne said, with a glance at Napoli. "We would ask the Court to require Renraku Computer Systems to produce their records of research and development to prove that their projects over the past fourteen months were not developed or completed with information stolen from Fuchi’s systems."

"Justice Osborne," Jean-Claude Priault began, "I hope there is something more substantial to your case against Renraku than some circumstantial evidence about their developments in fields that have traditionally been dominated by your firm."

"There is, Mr. Chief Justice," Osborne lied smoothly. "We have information we wish to present on Renraku’s recent activities and how they affect not only Fuchi, but all of the members of the corporate community." Out of the corner of her eye, Osborne saw Napoli reach up to stroke his chin. Although it seemed no more than a gesture of quiet curiosity, Osborne knew that, for Napoli, such a break in his composure was almost a statement of surprise.
Score
one
more
point
for
me,
she thought.
You
didn’t
think
we
had
a
real
case,
did
you,
Paco?

"But before I present our evidence," Osborne continued, focusing her attention on Priault and deliberately ignoring Napoli, "I would like to ask the Court for a recess so the justices may review the materials I have presented thus far and have the opportunity to rest and come at this matter fresh. The information is germane to the evidence Fuchi wishes to present."

Osborne silently bit her lip while Priault considered. Would he see what she was doing and give her the time she needed?

"Very well," Priault said with only a brief pause. "I know everyone must be feeling the space-lag, and the court appreciates the opportunity for the justices to review all of the facts. A six-hour recess is granted. We will reconvene at ten A.M., station time, to hear the rest of Fuchi’s case."

Priault rapped his gavel on the bench, and the members of the
Corporate Court
began to file out of the room to rest and unwind from the long trip to the station and to begin reading the files Osborne had made available on the orbital’s computer system. Waiting while the rest of the justices left the room, Osborne gave Napoli a smile as he headed toward the door. He acknowledged it with a slight nod, but the look on his face showed that he was not happy with the way things were shaping up.

Osborne realized that Napoli’s confidence was as feigned as hers in many ways. Renraku was worried, which meant they knew Fuchi’s case had a chance of hurting them. Just as Villiers had predicted, Renraku had something to hide and Osborne had a good shot at forcing Renraku to show their hand on Fuchi’s terms. She just hoped that hand didn’t have a gun in it. Renraku could panic if they were backed into a corner, and that would mean real trouble for all concerned.

So
far
so
good,
she thought as she watched Napoli’s retreating back.
Now
I
just
have
to
hope
my
evidence
materializes
in
time
for
me
to
present
it,
or
else
Paco
Napoli
is
going
to
be
dancing
on
my
grave
.