At the time the Kret were discovered, they became the main topic in the media streams on Earth for six months in a row. No other topic came through. The intrigues and complications surrounding the big corporations or the futile efforts of the states to regain control were forgotten.

"The Council" took over. That's what the news providers called it. An expert panel composed of top people from the Gemini Project, Zodiac and other corporations, as well as some chief diplomats and on top of that, the stars of the show, five experts.

The experts were perfectly and skillfully chosen. Eloquent, wise, visionary, and above all, "likeable". They had the potential to become media heroes (mainly because they were also media experts). They could explain all the complex processes in a simple way, not so much the technical ones, but especially the sociological issues and implications.

Further reads:

• The Bond, a Short Story with all details around the corporations
• The Kret (World Building)
• Transspace (World Building)