It was like the Gold Rush, planetary prospectors were desperate to stake their claim on ‘unformed’ worlds. Most followed the Federal protocols, others don’t.

Gaia Planet Services attempted to terraform a planet without authorization. Turns out the planet wasn’t uninhabited. A new race, later discovered to be the Xi’An Empire, showed up while the terraformers were building the equipment.  Needless to say, they were a little perturbed.  The Xi’An captured the entire crew and kept them under guard.  They released one, the foreman Charles Baxter, as a gesture of good faith.

Back on Earth, High-Secretary Cho, High-General Volder, and High-Advocate Machado along with a select sub-committee of Senators gathered to get a clear assessment of what happened from Baxter and what to do about the Xi’An.

BAXTER:  I’ve been advised by the Company’s attorney-

HIGH-ADVOCATE MACHADO:  Mr. Baxter, this is not a criminal hearing.  We are simply trying to get a clear picture of what happened.   There are still two hundred seventy-five of your colleagues held by an alien civilization.  Any help you provide us today will be taken into account when this crisis is resolved.

[Baxter confers with Attorney]

BAXTER:  We were surveying, looking for plant-points to set up the equipment.  There were three transports scheduled to land so we were expecting to hear ships.  I was up on a ridge when the first one came into view. I knew immediately it wasn’t ours.  Human, I mean.  It didn’t look like any Banu ship I’d ever seen, but you know how they are…

HIGH-SECRETARY CHO:  Please stay on topic.

BAXTER:  Well, next thing we knew, they were all over us.  Ships coming from all sorts of directions.

HIGH-GENERAL VOLDER:  Didn’t you run scans before landing?

BAXTER:  Not really.  I mean,  I don’t think so.

HIGH-GENERAL VOLDER:  Don’t you think it would be wise before attempting to terraform a planet?

BAXTER:  You don’t know what it’s like out there.  You wait around too long, some other Corp will swoop in and process that rock faster than you can blink.

HIGH-GENERAL VOLDER:  While we appreciate your sociological insight, Mr. Baxter, we need facts, not hyperbole if we’re going to free the hostages.

HIGH-SECRETARY CHO:  General, we have not concluded that a military action is necessary.

HIGH-GENERAL VOLDER:  I understand but we need to have a plan on the table to enact should the diplomatic solutions go sour.

. . .END EXCERPT

UPE Military forces maintained a perimeter at the jump-point entrance.  It took fifteen days to work out a communication system to speak with the Xi’An.  That started a tense negotiation period.  The Xi’An were meticulous with their demands.

By the time the hostages were released, over fifty-seven days had passed.  Though the UPE had managed to avoid war, relations with the Xi’An were tense.