The lawyer came in. He smiled a little when Gramenger explained. He looked at the papers. He shook a sleek head. He handed the papers to Harvey.
"You don't stand a chance, man. Have you looked into the definition of what constitutes planetary farmlands?"
"Planetary farmlands, legally and simply, are the natural surface or portions of the surface of a planet of any size which could support vegetative growths of any kind. Your mistake here is that this planetoid, and every other such a body that has been discovered, _does not have a soil surface_. Ergo, it cannot support plant life."
"If it _did_ have a soil surface," Harvey said.
The lawyer looked at him whimsically. "It couldn't," he said, in what was meant as a kindly tone. "These odd-sized bodies that wander through space have invariably been discovered to be crystallized, meteoric, inorganic materials from top to bottom."
"But if it _did_ have soil, natural, original surface soil."
The lawyer spread his hands, shrugging. "It can't be. But if it were, naturally, the company would--"
"Change the _Hermes'_ trajectory?" Harvey said.
Gramenger glared. "Gramenger & Lewis has changed neither a schedule nor a trajectory in its career as the oldest shipping concern in the Solar System," he snapped.
"Well," said Harvey, "what _would_ you do if it were proved that Plymouth has a natural soil surface?" He took a flat paper bag out of his pocket and emptied a pile of dirt onto Gramenger's desk.
The lawyer and Gramenger looked at the pile of dirt. Both men grew a little pale.
The lawyer licked his lips. "If you show that that dirt comes from Plymouth," he said, "Gramenger & Lewis will stand the expense of transforming the planetoid into a free-mover."
"This means," said Harvey, "that you would be forced to install gravitic machinery under Plymouth's surface, including plus and minus grids and controls that would make it possible to move the planetoid out of the _Hermes'_ way."
"You would also install atmosphere-making machinery."
"If the claimant asked for it, it would be a simple matter."
"You would also provide a transmutator as an adjunct to the atmosphere-machine so that water could be provided?"
Gramenger was being very silent and small behind the desk. Unconsciously, he nodded his head. The lawyer, his amiable manner somewhat shattered, nodded slowly. "These and other things could be done and would be done in a hurry."