“They scheduled the Kellogg trial first,” Gus Brannhard was saying, “and there wasn’t any way I could stop that. You see what the idea is? They’ll try him first, with Leslie Coombes running both the prosecution5 and the defense6, and if they can get him acquitted7, it’ll prejudice the sapience8 evidence we introduce in your trial.”
Mamma Fuzzy made another try at intercepting9 the drink he was hoisting10, but he frustrated11 that. Baby had stopped trying to sit on his head, and was playing peek-a-boo from behind his whiskers.
“First,” he continued, “they’ll exclude every bit of evidence about the Fuzzies that they can. That won’t be much, but there’ll be a fight to get any of it in. What they can’t exclude, they’ll attack. They’ll attack credibility. Of course, with veridication, they can’t claim anybody’s lying, but they can claim self-deception. You make a statement you believe, true or false, and the veridicator’ll back you up on it. They’ll attack qualifications on expert testimony12. They’ll quibble about statements of fact and statements of opinion. And what they can’t exclude or attack, they’ll accept, and then deny that it’s proof of sapience.
“What the hell do they want for proof of sapience?” Gerd demanded. “Nuclear energy and contragravity and hyperdrive?”
“They will have a nice, neat, pedantic13 definition of sapience, tailored especially to exclude the Fuzzies, and they will present it in court and try to get it accepted, and it’s up to us to guess in advance what that will be, and have a refutation of it ready, and also a definition of our own.”
“Their definition will have to include Khooghras. Gerd, do the Khooghras bury their dead?”
“Hell, no; they eat them. But you have to give them this, they cook them first.”
“Look, we won’t get anywhere arguing about what Fuzzies do and Khooghras don’t do,” Rainsford said. “We’ll have to get a definition of sapience. Remember what Ruth said Saturday night?”
Gerd van Riebeek looked as though he didn’t want to remember what Ruth had said, or even remember Ruth herself. Jack nodded, and repeated it. “I got the impression of non-sapient14 intelligence shading up to a sharp line, and then sapience shading up from there, maybe a different color, or wavy15 lines instead of straight ones.”
“That’s a good graphic16 representation,” Gerd said. “You know, that line’s so sharp I’d be tempted17 to think of sapience as a result of mutation18, except that I can’t quite buy the same mutation happening in the same way on so many different planets.”
Ben Rainsford started to say something, then stopped short when a constabulary siren hooted19 over the camp. The Fuzzies looked up interestedly. They knew what that was. Pappy Jack’s friends in the blue clothes. Jack went to the door and opened it, putting the outside light on.
The car was landing; George Lunt, two of his men and two men in civilian20 clothes were getting out. Both the latter were armed, and one of them carried a bundle under his arm.
“Hello, George; come on in.”
“We want to talk to you, Jack.” Lunt’s voice was strained, empty of warmth or friendliness21. “At least, these men do.”
“Why, yes. Sure.”
He backed into the room to permit them to enter. Something was wrong; something bad had come up. Khadra came in first, placing himself beside and a little behind him. Lunt followed, glancing quickly around and placing himself between Jack and the gunrack and also the holstered pistols on the table. The third trooper let the two strangers in ahead of him, and then closed the door and put his back against it. He wondered if the court might have cancelled his bond and ordered him into custody22. The two strangers—a beefy man with a scrubby black mustache, and a smaller one with a thin, saturnine23 face—were looking expectantly at Lunt. Rainsford and van Riebeek were on their feet. Gus Brannhard leaned over to refill his glass, but did not rise.
“Let me have the papers,” Lunt said to the beefy stranger.
The other took a folded document and handed it over.
“Jack, this isn’t my idea,” Lunt said. “I don’t want to do it, but I have to. I wouldn’t want to shoot you, either, but you make any resistance and I will. I’m no Kurt Borch; I know you, and I won’t take any chances.”
“If you’re going to serve that paper, serve it,” the bigger of the two strangers said. “Don’t stand yakking24 all night.”
“Jack,” Lunt said uncomfortably, “this is a court order to impound your Fuzzies as evidence in the Kellogg case. These men are deputy marshals from Central Courts; they’ve been ordered to bring the Fuzzies into Mallorysport.”
“Let me see the order, Jack,” Brannhard said, still remaining seated.
Lunt handed it to Jack, and he handed it across to Brannhard. Gus had been drinking steadily25 all evening; maybe he was afraid he’d show it if he stood up. He looked at it briefly26 and nodded.
“Court order, all right, signed by the Chief Justice.” He handed it back. “They have to take the Fuzzies, and that’s all there is to it. Keep that order, though, and make them give you a signed and thumbprinted receipt. Type it up for them now, Jack.”
Gus wanted to busy him with something, so he wouldn’t have to watch what was going on. The smaller of the two deputies had dropped the bundle from under his arm. It was a number of canvas sacks. He sat down at the typewriter, closing his ears to the noises in the room, and wrote the receipt, naming the Fuzzies and describing them, and specifying28 that they were in good health and uninjured. One of them tried to climb to his lap, yeeking frantically29; it clutched his shirt, but it was snatched away. He was finished with his work before the invaders30 were with theirs. They had three Fuzzies already in sacks. Khadra was catching31 Cinderella. Ko-Ko and Little Fuzzy had run for the little door in the outside wall, but Lunt was standing32 with his heels against it, holding it shut; when they saw that, both of them began burrowing33 in the bedding. The third trooper and the smaller of the two deputies dragged them out and stuffed them into sacks.
He got to his feet, still stunned34 and only half comprehending, and took the receipt out of the typewriter. There was an argument about it; Lunt told the deputies to sign it or get the hell out without the Fuzzies. They signed, inked their thumbs and printed after their signatures. Jack gave the paper to Gus, trying not to look at the six bulging35, writhing36 sacks, or hear the frightened little sounds.
“George, you’ll let them have some of their things, won’t you?” he asked.
“Sure. What kind of things?”
“Their bedding. Some of their toys.”
“You mean this junk?” The smaller of the two deputies kicked the ball-and-stick construction. “All we got orders to take is the Fuzzies.”
“You heard the gentleman.” Lunt made the word sound worse than son of a Khooghra. He turned to the two deputies. “Well, you have them; what are you waiting for?”
Jack watched from the door as they put the sacks into the aircar, climbed in after them and lifted out. Then he came back and sat down at the table.
“They don’t know anything about court orders,” he said. “They don’t know why I didn’t stop it. They think Pappy Jack let them down.”
“Have they gone, Jack?” Brannhard asked. “Sure?” Then he rose, reaching behind him, and took up a little ball of white fur. Baby Fuzzy caught his beard with both tiny hands, yeeking happily.
“Baby! They didn’t get him!”
Brannhard disengaged the little hands from his beard and handed him over.
“No, and they signed for him, too.” Brannhard downed what was left of his drink, got a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. “Now, we’re going to go to Mallorysport and get the rest of them back.”
“But…. But the Chief Justice signed that order. He won’t give them back just because we ask him to.”
Brannhard made an impolite noise. “I’ll bet everything I own Pendarvis never saw that order. They have stacks of those things, signed in blank, in the Chief of the Court’s office. If they had to wait to get one of the judges to sign an order every time they wanted to subpoena37 a witness or impound physical evidence, they’d never get anything done. If Ham O’Brien didn’t think this up for himself, Leslie Coombes thought it up for him.”
“We’ll use my airboat,” Gerd said. “You coming along, Ben? Let’s get started.”
He couldn’t understand. The Big Ones in the blue clothes had been friends; they had given the whistles, and shown sorrow when the killed one was put in the ground. And why had Pappy Jack not gotten the big gun and stopped them. It couldn’t be that he was afraid; Pappy Jack was afraid of nothing.
The others were near, in bags like the one in which he had been put; he could hear them, and called to them. Then he felt the edge of the little knife Pappy Jack had made. He could cut his way out of this bag now and free the others, but that would be no use. They were in one of the things the Big Ones went up into the sky in, and if he got out now, there would be nowhere to go and they would be caught at once. Better to wait.
The one thing that really worried him was that he would not know where they were being taken. When they did get away, how would they ever find Pappy Jack again?
Gus Brannhard was nervous, showing it by being overtalkative, and that worried Jack. He’d stopped twice at mirrors along the hallway to make sure that his gold-threaded gray neckcloth was properly knotted and that his black jacket was zipped up far enough and not too far. Now, in front of the door marked THE CHIEF JUSTICE, he paused before pushing the button to fluff his newly shampooed beard.
There were two men in the Chief Justice’s private chambers38. Pendarvis he had seen once or twice, but their paths had never crossed. He had a good face, thin and ascetic39, the face of a man at peace with himself. With him was Mohammed Ali O’Brien, who seemed surprised to see them enter, and then apprehensive40. Nobody shook hands; the Chief Justice bowed slightly and invited them to be seated.
“Now,” he continued, when they found chairs, “Miss Ugatori tells me that you are making complaint against an action by Mr. O’Brien here.”
“We are indeed, your Honor.” Brannhard opened his briefcase41 and produced two papers—the writ27, and the receipt for the Fuzzies, handing them across the desk. “My client and I wish to know upon what basis of legality your Honor sanctioned this act, and by what right Mr. O’Brien sent his officers to Mr. Holloway’s camp to snatch these little people from their friend and protector, Mr. Holloway.”
The judge looked at the two papers. “As you know, Miss Ugatori took prints of them when you called to make this appointment. I’ve seen them. But believe me, Mr. Brannhard, this is the first time I have seen the original of this writ. You know how these things are signed in blank. It’s a practice that has saved considerable time and effort, and until now they have only been used when there was no question that I or any other judge would approve. Such a question should certainly have existed in this case, because had I seen this writ I would never have signed it.” He turned to the now fidgeting Chief Prosecutor42. “Mr. O’Brien,” he said, “one simply does not impound sapient beings as evidence, as, say, one impounds a veldbeest calf43 in a brand-alteration case. The fact that the sapience of these Fuzzies is still sub judice includes the presumption44 of its possibility. Now you know perfectly45 well that the courts may take no action in the face of the possibility that some innocent person may suffer wrong.”
“And, your Honor,” Brannhard leaped into the breach46, “it cannot be denied that these Fuzzies have suffered a most outrageous47 wrong! Picture them—no, picture innocent and artless children, for that is what these Fuzzies are, happy trusting little children, who, until then, had known only kindness and affection—rudely kidnapped, stuffed into sacks by brutal48 and callous49 men—”
“Your Honor!” O’Brien’s face turned even blacker than the hot sun of Agni had made it. “I cannot hear officers of the court so characterized without raising my voice in protest!”
“Mr. O’Brien seems to forget that he is speaking in the presence of two eye witnesses to this brutal abduction.”
“If the officers of the court need defense, Mr. O’Brien, the court will defend them. I believe that you should presently consider a defense of your own actions.”
“Your Honor, I insist that I only acted as I felt to be my duty,” O’Brien said. “These Fuzzies are a key exhibit in the case of People versus50 Kellogg, since only by demonstration51 of their sapience can any prosecution against the defendant52 be maintained.”
“Then why,” Brannhard demanded, “did you endanger them in this criminally reckless manner?”
“Endanger them?” O’Brien was horrified53. “Your Honor, I acted only to insure their safety and appearance in court.”
“So you took them away from the only man on this planet who knows anything about their proper care, a man who loves them as he would his own human children, and you subjected them to abuse, which, for all you knew, might have been fatal to them.”
Judge Pendarvis nodded. “I don’t believe, Mr. Brannhard, that you have overstated the case. Mr. O’Brien, I take a very unfavorable view of your action in this matter. You had no right to have what are at least putatively54 sapient beings treated in this way, and even viewing them as mere55 physical evidence I must agree with Mr. Brannhard’s characterization of your conduct as criminally reckless. Now, speaking judicially56, I order you to produce those Fuzzies immediately and return them to the custody of Mr. Holloway.”
“Well, of course, your Honor.” O’Brien had been growing progressively distraught, and his face now had the gray-over-brown hue57 of a walnut58 gunstock that has been out in the rain all day. “It’ll take an hour or so to send for them and have them brought here.”
“You mean they’re not in this building?” Pendarvis asked.
“Oh, no, your Honor, there are no facilities here. I had them taken to Science Center—”
“What?”
Jack had determined59 to keep his mouth shut and let Gus do the talking. The exclamation60 was literally61 forced out of him. Nobody noticed; it had also been forced out of both Gus Brannhard and Judge Pendarvis. Pendarvis leaned forward and spoke62 with dangerous mildness:
“Do you refer, Mr. O’Brien, to the establishment of the Division of Scientific Study and Research of the chartered Zarathustra Company?”
“Why, yes; they have facilities for keeping all kinds of live animals, and they do all the scientific work for—”
Pendarvis cursed blasphemously63. Brannhard looked as startled as though his own briefcase had jumped at his throat and tried to bite him. He didn’t look half as startled as Ham O’Brien did.
“So you think,” Pendarvis said, recovering his composure with visible effort, “that the logical custodian64 of prosecution evidence in a murder trial is the defendant? Mr. O’Brien, you simply enlarge my view of the possible!”
“Not of record, no,” Brannhard agreed. “But isn’t the Zarathustra Company’s scientific division headed by one Leonard Kellogg?”
“Dr. Kellogg’s been relieved of his duties, pending66 the outcome of the trial. The division is now headed by Dr. Ernst Mallin.”
“Chief scientific witness for the defense; I fail to see any practical difference.”
“Jack, did you hear that?” Brannhard asked. “Treasure it in your memory. You may have to testify to it in court sometime.” He turned to the Chief Justice. “Your Honor, may I suggest the recovery of these Fuzzies be entrusted68 to Colonial Marshal Fane, and may I further suggest that Mr. O’Brien be kept away from any communication equipment until they are recovered.”
“That sounds like a prudent69 suggestion, Mr. Brannhard. Now, I’ll give you an order for the surrender of the Fuzzies, and a search warrant, just to be on the safe side. And, I think, an Orphans’ Court form naming Mr. Holloway as guardian70 of these putatively sapient beings. What are their names? Oh, I have them here on this receipt.” He smiled pleasantly. “See, Mr. O’Brien, we’re saving you a lot of trouble.”
O’Brien had little enough wit to protest. “But these are the defendant and his attorney in another murder case I’m prosecuting,” he began.
Pendarvis stopped smiling. “Mr. O’Brien, I doubt if you’ll be allowed to prosecute71 anything or anybody around here any more, and I am specifically relieving you of any connection with either the Kellogg or the Holloway trial, and if I hear any argument out of you about it, I will issue a bench warrant for your arrest on charges of malfeasance in office.”
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收听单词发音
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1
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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ashtray
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| n.烟灰缸 | |
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puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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inhaling
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| v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 ) | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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acquitted
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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sapience
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| n.贤明，睿智 | |
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intercepting
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| 截取（技术），截接 | |
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hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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11
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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12
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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13
pedantic
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| adj.卖弄学问的；迂腐的 | |
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14
sapient
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| adj.有见识的，有智慧的 | |
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15
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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mutation
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| n.变化，变异，转变 | |
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hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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saturnine
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| adj.忧郁的，沉默寡言的，阴沉的，感染铅毒的 | |
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yakking
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| 没完没了地谈些无关要紧的事，喋喋不休，唠叨( yak的现在分词 ) | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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specifying
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| v.指定( specify的现在分词 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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burrowing
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的现在分词 )；翻寻 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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subpoena
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| n.（法律）传票；v.传讯 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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prosecutor
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| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
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calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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49
callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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versus
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| prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下 | |
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51
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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52
defendant
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| n.被告；adj.处于被告地位的 | |
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horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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54
putatively
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| adv.推定地 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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judicially
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| 依法判决地，公平地 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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58
walnut
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| n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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blasphemously
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custodian
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| n.保管人，监护人；公共建筑看守 | |
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65
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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66
pending
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| prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的 | |
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67
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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70
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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71
prosecute
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| vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官 | |
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