Mister Henderson calledme into his office my thirdday back in Tangiers. Thatwas a day and a half later thanI'd expected. Roving claims investigatorsfor Tangiers MutualInsurance Corporation don't usuallyget to spend more thanthirty-six consecutive hours athome base.
Henderson was jovial butstern. That meant he was happywith the job I'd just completed,and that he was pretty sure I'dfind some crooked shenaniganson this next assignment. Thatdidn't please me. I'm basically aplain-living type, and I hatecomplications. I almost wishedfor a second there that I wasback on Fire and Theft in GreaterNew York. But I knew betterthan that. As a roving claim investigator,I avoided the morestultifying paper work inherentin this line of work and had theadditional luxury of an expenseaccount nobody ever questioned.
It made working for a livingalmost worthwhile.
When I was settled in thechair beside his desk, Hendersonsaid, "That was good work youdid on Luna, Ged. Saved thecompany a pretty pence."
I smiled modestly and said,"Thank you, sir." And reflectedto myself for the thousandthtime that the company could doworse than split that savingwith the guy who'd made it possible.Me, in other words.
"Got a tricky one this time,Ged," said my boss. He had donehis back-patting, now we gotdown to business. He peeredkeenly at me, or at least as keenlyas a round-faced tiny-eyed fatman can peer. "What do youknow about the Risk ProfessionRetirement Plan?" he asked me.
"I've heard of it," I said truthfully."That's about all."
He nodded. "Most of the policiesare sold off-planet, ofcourse. It's a form of insurancefor non-insurables. Spaceshipcrews, asteroid prospectors, peoplelike that."
"I see," I said, unhappily. Iknew right away this meant Iwas going to have to go off-Earthagain. I'm a one-gee boyall the way. Gravity changes getme in the solar plexus. I get g-sickat the drop of an elevator.
"Here's the way it works," hewent on, either not noticing mysad face or choosing to ignoreit. "The client pays a monthlypremium. He can be as far aheador as far behind in his paymentsas he wants—the policy has nolapse clause—just so he's allpaid up by the Target Date. TheTarget Date is a retirement age,forty-five or above, chosen bythe client himself. After the TargetDate, he stops paying premiums,and we begin to pay hima monthly retirement check, theamount determined by theamount paid into the policy, hisage at retiring, and so on.Clear?"
I nodded, looking for the gimmickthat made this a payingproposition for good old TangiersMutual.
"The Double R-P—that's whatwe call it around the office here—assuresthe client that hewon't be reduced to panhandlingin his old age, should his otherretirement plans fall through.For Belt prospectors, of course,this means the big strike, whichmaybe one in a hundred find.For the man who never doesmake that big strike, this issomething to fall back on. Hecan come home to Earth and retire,with a guaranteed incomefor the rest of his life."
I nodded again, like a goodcompany man.
"Of course," said Henderson,emphasizing this point with anupraised chubby finger, "thesemen are still uninsurables. Thisis a retirement plan only, not aninsurance policy.