Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Furry Farce
"Mind if I ask a personal question?" Sullivan asked Holloway.
Holloway looked back at Sullivan, who was sitting on the side seat of the spaceship.The spaceship does not have a special passenger design, and the side seats can seat two people, but they are not very comfortable.Sullivan didn't complain.
"If you don't save me, I'll be beaten to death." Holloway replied, turning back to pay attention to the endless jungle in front of him. His spaceship passed through the jungle and flew to his tree house. an honest answer."
"Why were you disbarred?" Sullivan asked.
Holloway was a little taken aback. "Well, I didn't expect you to ask that," he said. "I thought you wanted to ask how I and Isabel broke up."
"I heard from Isabel about it," Sullivan said. "I heard her version anyway. But she said you don't want to talk about why you were disqualified."
"It's not hard to find out," Holloway said. "It's in the news. I don't want to talk about it because that's also because I'm stupid."
"If you say that, I'm sure I'd like to hear it," said Sullivan.
Holloway sighed, pressed the autopilot, and turned the seat to face Sullivan. "Obviously you know I used to be a lawyer," he said.
"Obviously," said Sullivan.
"Actually I used to be just like you," Holloway said, "as a legal counsel to a big company, in Alstra."
Sullivan frowned, looking for information about the company in his mind. "Pharmaceutical companies." He finally thought.
"Well. Founded by a group of yelling people who wanted to save the Amazon rainforest through plant medicine," Holloway said, "but the plan didn't work out, and they went back to the old way of synthesizing medicine in the laboratory. About ten Two years ago, their drug 'Danduosi' was approved for marketing."
Sullivan's eyes widened in surprise. "I remember the medicine," he said.
Holloway nodded, very few people don't remember "Dan Duo Si".It is marketed as a safe sleep aid and stress reliever for children, designed to target different brain neurochemicals in children than in adults.It was selling well at first, until an Alstra executive outsourced production to a supplier in Tajikistan under the guise of reducing costs and helping the economy of a developing country, but the reality is that this executive took money from the supplier. received a large rebate.
In order to reduce their own costs, the Tajik supplier replaced two of the drug's three active ingredients with lower-cost hypnotic chemicals, changing the composition of the chemical ingredients and thus changing the drug's effectiveness. 200 children died and 600 fell into a deep sleep from which their brains could never wake up.
"You're involved in a class action lawsuit?" Sullivan said.
Holloway shook his head. "I'm defending high-level criminal charges. Jonas Stern, he's charged with criminal manslaughter, and Alstra is charged with corporate wrongful death. Stern has his own lawyers to defend the homicide charge. I participated in the defense of corporate wrongful death. Both charges were tried together, before the same jury."
"And what did you do to get disbarred?" Sullivan asked. "You interfered with the jury? Bribed the judge?"
"I beat Stern," said Holloway.
"Where?" said Sullivan.
"On the cheek," said Holloway.
"No," said Sullivan, "what I want to ask is, did you beat him in court?"
"Yes," said Holloway, "the jury, the judge, the lawyers, and a few reporters saw it."
Sullivan stared at Holloway for a long moment, puzzled. "Can I ask why?" he asked finally.
"Well, if you ask the North Carolina State Bar, they'll say that because the defense was cornered, I beat Stern to bias the jury in order to get a mistrial, and that won't be tolerated."
"Did you succeed?"
"Then the trial was misplaced," Holloway said, "presumably. But I didn't fight for it, because I didn't beat him for the mistrial."
"Then why are you?" Sullivan asked.
"Because he's an asshole, hard-hearted scum," Holloway said. "We've been in court hearing parents testify that their kids took our products because Sten was too rich to control them. Line, their baby is gone. The parents are crying blind at the table, and I'm sitting next to Sten, and he's laughing like he's watching parents audition for soap opera roles, and he's The judges judged whether their performances were good enough or not. I couldn't bear it later, so I patted his shoulder, and when he turned his face, I punched his nose flat."
"Stupid," said Sullivan.
"Stupid," Holloway said, "but it feels great."
"Beating up Dries is just as stupid," Sullivan said.
"But it felt good too," Holloway said.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, anyway, it's not a good life to beat up a lot," Sullivan said. "The first time you're disbarred, the second time you're almost killed. Experience shows that beatings are good for you." There's no good for you in the future."
"I take your advice," Holloway said. "In the end, the trial was misused, I was fired and disbarred, and the North Carolina State Bar told me to either be arraigned on the charge of interfering with the jury. Either off Earth. So here I am."
"What happened to Stern," said Sullivan.
“He was shot on the steps outside the courthouse at the retrial,” Holloway said. “The grandpa of one of the children who killed a child with drugs learned from the doctor before the trial that he had stage four lung cancer. He went home and got it.” Stern was fired between the eyes and surrendered to the police on the stone steps. Neighbors chipped in to pay him bail, and the prosecutors lingered as long as they could so the old man died peacefully at home."
Sullivan shook his head. "Even that's not right. No more right than you," he said.
"I don't think so." Holloway turned and went back to the ship's controls to make sure he was on course.The course did not deviate, and he added: "But sometimes, it feels right to be wrong."
“Does it feel right to say at the hearing that Isabel lied, that you taught your dog to do demolition was a lie?” Sullivan asked.
"Oh, that," said Holloway, "now you want to talk about what happened between me and Isabel."
"I just want to get the whole story straight," Sullivan said.
"I don't have a valid excuse for that," Holloway said. "If the hearing found that I was wrongdoing, my survey contract would be rescinded, and I can't be rescinded. You remember I can't go back to North Carolina State. I don't have anywhere else to go. I know it's over between Isabel and I, but I have no choice."
"She still likes you," Sullivan said.
"She only likes me a little bit, and she thinks I'm only a little bit worthy of affection," Holloway said. "She likes my dog more."
"The dog did not lie at the hearing," Sullivan said.
"They didn't call a dog to testify," Holloway said.
"You're very interesting, Jack," said Sullivan. "I wish I knew what you were thinking when you beat Stern and betrayed Isabel."
"Ah, I think that's the problem," Holloway said. "Obviously sometimes I don't think about anything."
"I think you're thinking about it," Sullivan said. "It's just that you're thinking about yourself first. It's your turn to 'think nothing' when you're dealing with the consequences.”
Holloway glanced back again. "You know what, Mark," he said, "if you don't mind, I really want you to change the subject."
As soon as they landed, Holloway brought Sullivan to Carl and the furries.He had already spoken to Mr. Lawyer about Momo during the flight so as not to scare him.Sullivan calmly met the animals and turned to Isabel.Sullivan and Isabel greeted each other with kisses, and Holloway looked away out of politeness, only to find that the Momo family had no such intentions.They stared openly at this never-before-seen form of human interaction. Sullivan found out too. "Kissing hasn't gotten this big of an audience since I was voted Homecoming Prom King," he said.He bent down and watched the little ones carefully.They circled him too, eyeing them equally curiously.Karl has seen more humans than Mao Mao, and he doesn't think Sullivan is very strange, so he went straight to its owner. Isabel looked at Holloway. "You survived," she said. "Thanks to Mark," said Holloway, patting his dog, "thanks for sending the word for him to come." "Don't you think I won't help you," Isabel said. "Of course not," said Holloway, "we've all been apart for so long." Isabelle smiled. By this time the baby had hugged Sullivan. "They're so cute!" He patted the baby gently. "Especially this one, the girl reminds me of the cats I used to have." "It's not a girl, actually," said Isabelle. "Really?" Sullivan was surprised. "Really?" So did Holloway. "Really," said Isabelle, "that's the consequence of your preconceptions." "Last time we met you also thought the baby was a female," Holloway said. "That's when I thought you checked, Jack," Isabel said. "I should have known you wouldn't." "Thanks," Holloway said. "You're welcome, but that's not what I meant," said Isabel. "The other higher animals on this planet reproduce sexually, but they have only one sex. All organisms here produce germ cells with a single set of chromosomes, It can fertilize other cells, but it also has a reproductive cavity to cultivate young, and it can be oviparous or viviparous, depending on the species." "So they're hermaphrodites," Sullivan said. "No," said Isabel, seeing Sullivan's confused face. "On Earth, you could say that, because there are two sexes. But animals on this planet have never developed male and female differences. There is only one Gender. Life is unisexual here." Her eyes returned to Holloway, "I already knew that, so I said I should have known, Jack." "Then you're sure our furry friends are all alike, male and female," Jack said. "Pretty sure," Isabel said, "their sex organs are the same as other large creatures." "How do you know?" said Holloway. "Obviously because I checked," said Isabelle. "Oh, that's disgusting," said Holloway. "You're a terrible biologist, Jack," said Isabel. "I have to be on Jack's side," Sullivan said. "It's really awkward." "Thanks, Mark," said Holloway. Isabel looked at them angrily: "Are you two finished?" "So they're like clones?" Sullivan said, setting the baby down to observe the rest of the Fluffy. "But they don't look alike." "They're not clones," said Isabelle. "If they were like the other organisms here, they would have a protein membrane around their germ cells, and each individual's protein membrane is different from each other. Germ cells with the same protein membrane can't interact with each other." Fusion. Cloning is possible only when the body's chemistry is altered by environmental stress to produce germ cells without protein membranes. But this is very rare." "Now you're showing off how much you know," Holloway said. Isabel stuck out her tongue. "I wrote a paper on a related topic," Isabel said. "If I remember correctly, Jack, you said you read it." "I may have read it," said Holloway, "but that doesn't mean I understand it." Isabel snorted disdainfully, and then pointed at the furs, who were tired of hearing it, and scattered to go about their own activities. "This is one thing for sure - Maomao definitely belongs to this planet. Their overall biological characteristics are consistent with other vertebrates on this planet, and they are well adapted to the surrounding environment. I can basically judge that they are local creatures, but collecting some Biological evidence is of course better. I have already collected some genetic samples, and I can confirm it by taking it back to the laboratory for comparison. Once I confirm it, I can start the next step.” "My God," said Holloway, "here she is again." "What's next?" said Sullivan, looking from Isabel to Holloway. "Your girlfriend is determined not to say that our furry friend is human," Holloway said. "Human?" Sullivan repeated, turning to look at Isabel. "Yes." Isabelle said. "Smart creatures? Humans? Not 'I treat my pets as human beings'?" Sullivan asked. "Is that so unbelievable?" Isabelle said. "A little bit," Sullivan said. "They're really cute, friendly, and seem to be very smart. I already want to get one for my niece in Arizona. But that doesn't mean they're human." "Thanks again, Mark," Holloway said. "Obviously there is a difference of opinion between the two of you." Sullivan still looked at Isabel, but nodded at Holloway. "Well," Isabelle said to him, "but unlike Jack, who only hoped that Mao Mao would not get in his way of getting rich, I had other things to do. While he was running away and didn't know what to do—" "—when it was almost eaten by Zara Velociraptor," Holloway added. "—I've spent a lot of time watching furries, watching how they live, videotaping and taking notes," Isabelle said. Not intelligent beings." She turned to Holloway, "You were almost eaten by Zara Velociraptor?" "Yeah," said Holloway. "Why don't you tell me?" Isabel asked. "I was out of danger of being digested when I wrote you a message," Holloway said. "I need you to worry about what I'm going to do next, not what I've done." "You should tell me anyway," Isabel said. "You're not my girlfriend anymore," Holloway said. "I'm still your friend," said Isabel. "Is this going to work?" Sullivan interrupted them. "While the relationship between the two of you is very interesting, I still want to return to the topic that these little guys may be intelligent creatures. That's why you asked me to come." huh, Isabel?" "Sorry," said Isabelle, "that's what happened to me when I met Jack." "I found that many people met him like this." Sullivan said, "I know this, let's put it aside for now." "Okay, no problem," said Isabel, glancing at Holloway again. Although he was in the awkward position of his ex-boyfriend, Holloway admired the ease with which Sullivan brought Isabel back to the point.Holloway never did that.Every time he pissed off Isabel, the more he tried to appease her, the more they broke up.They were always at loggerheads, and there was always a simmering tension between the two of them in the end.Holloway, it should be said, deftly deflected disputes—he was a barrister, and he was adept at it, until he hit Stern on the nose—but there was something about Isabel that made him want to fight, That's not good for a relationship. "Wait a minute," Holloway said, and Isabel and Sullivan looked at him sideways. "Isabel, you're right," he said, "I should tell you because you're my friend. I'm sorry." Holloway could almost see the sarcasm flashing in Isabel's eyes, surprised that he actually apologized, or sincerely.Then all responses disappeared. "Thank you, Jack," she said quietly at last.He nodded. "Continue to talk about Mao Mao?" Sullivan proposed expectantly. "Why don't we go into the house," Isabel said, "we all take cans of beer and sit down to drink slowly. I'll show you the video and notes, and you can judge for yourself whether my evidence is convincing or not." "Watching a video while drinking!" Holloway said. "I'm willing to pay for it."
Isabel showed Holloway and Sullivan the two-hour video clips she took, which recorded various activities of Maomao. She believed that these can fully show that Maomao has advanced spiritual knowledge of intelligent creatures, which is far beyond the intelligence of ordinary animals.When they were watching the video, from time to time a fur would climb up to watch it together, and then left after watching it for a few minutes.The little ones are tired of looking at themselves on the information boards. After the video demonstration, Isabel took out her notes and cross-referenced Mao Mao's behavior with intelligent creatures such as humans, Ula tribes, and mud bumps. She double-checked her data and conclusions, and listed notes and references.By the time she had shown it all, Holloway was almost convinced, though reluctantly, that the Fuzzies were really intelligent beings. "Not very reliable," Sullivan said as soon as Isabel finished her presentation. "What?" said Isabelle, thinking she had misheard. "You heard what I said, Isabel," said Sullivan as gently as possible, "I don't think it's plausible." "Then your definition of unreliable is very strange," said Isabelle. “Actually, right now this is my definition of unreliable,” Sullivan said. “I think unreliable is because these little guys can’t talk. They don’t talk to each other, they don’t talk to us, you’re very It’s hard to convince people.” "My God, you're exactly like Jack," Isabel said.Holloway twitched the corners of his mouth into a strange smile. "Language is only one of the criteria for judging intelligent organisms. There are many others listed in the case of 'Cheng v. Blue Sky Group'." "I know," Sullivan said, "but as a legal counsel, while I'm not an expert on ET law, I also know that in the eyes of a layperson—including any judge hearing a case like this—speaking Ability is the most difficult indicator to achieve. Not only is it difficult to meet, language is often the decisive indicator.” Isabel glared at Sullivan angrily and said, "You mean even if Mao Mao meets every other standard listed, it doesn't count if they can't speak." "I mean," said Sullivan, "so far, there is no intelligent creature that we have discovered and confirmed that can't speak. There are some behaviors that humans don't have in the Ula tribe, some behaviors that the Ula tribe doesn't have, and some behaviors that the Ula tribe doesn't have in humans. No, nothing like that. But the behavior we all have, Isabel, is language." "That doesn't negate the possibility of intelligent beings that don't speak," Isabel said. "No," Sullivan said. "It's possible. Your problem, Isabel, is not that you're bad, but your thinking is that of a biologist, not that of a lawyer." Isabelle sneered: "I don't think that's a problem." "Normally not," Sullivan said, "but it's a matter for a court of law, not a lab. You also have to remember that if your furry friends are intelligent beings, the Zara Group loses its place." mining rights, and lost minerals worth billions of credit coins, including the sunstone mine that Jack just found. Zara Group's revenue, profit and stock price will suffer a major impact. Although this will not affect you, it will affect Zara Group. Big. So if you submit a suspected intelligence report and you don't have evidence that the little ones can talk, but other intelligent creatures can talk, I guarantee that Zara's lawyers will seize on this point and make a big fuss. " "I would," Holloway said. "Me too," Sullivan said. "You won't," Isabel said. "Won't I?" Sullivan said. "I'm representing the Zara Group, Isabel, not you or the fuzzies. If Janice Meyer puts me in this case, I'll have to go to court." "Excellent," Isabelle said, turning her back on her boyfriend. "But that's not going to happen," Sullivan said. "When you think about it, Isabel, intelligent beings cases are the lifelong pursuit of any lawyer, no matter what side you represent. I'm sure Janice doesn't want to be Zara 23 for the rest of her life." General Counsel on the planet, if I get in her way and prevent her from taking this case, she will fly a spaceship into me. But you called me here to ask my opinion on this matter, right? This is me If you submit a report on suspected intelligent creatures now, you will be completely overturned." "So you think I should keep quiet about Momo," Isabel said, "just like Jack." "I didn't silence you," Holloway said. "I want you to be very sure before reporting." "I'm pretty sure," Isabel retorted, "but now it sounds like I'm not sure enough. By the time I find enough evidence to convince others, the Zara Group has already dug up the planet. I might as well shut up." .” "Honestly, you can't shut up now," Sullivan said. "What?" Holloway called out before Isabel. "Colonial Star officially requires companies that hold survey and mining rights to report once they find evidence of suspected intelligent creatures," Sullivan said, "Now you tell me, as a legally certified legal representative of the Zara Group, the law and the company's articles of association stipulate I have to report to my superiors." "You never told me this before," Isabel said. "You didn't tell me why you asked me to come," Sullivan pointed out. "Besides, you have to think about it a little bit. You asked me for my opinion as a lawyer. I have always been a lawyer for the Zara Group, and you have always been a lawyer for Zara Group." Biologists at La Group." "But you just said that once I submit the report, it will be dismissed." Isabel said, "Maomao will not be recognized." "Not to mention that all excavation here will be stopped," Holloway said. Sullivan smiled and held up his hand. "Everyone take a deep breath," he said. "Isabel, there is another way to facilitate a hearing about the identity of Fuzzy as a sentient being, and neither you nor the Fuzzies will suffer from it. As for Jack, this method is also temporary. You’re not going to suffer the loss of not being able to mine the minerals.” Isabel and Holloway look at me and I look at you. "And then?" Holloway asked Sullivan. "Aren't you going to tell us?" "I'm enjoying the dramatic pause of the moment," Sullivan said. "Don't be silly, Mark," said Isabel. "Okay," Sullivan put down his hand and said, "You remember when I said that exploration and mining companies are obliged to report any evidence of intelligent life. This means that Zara Group should report, not me or you." "Got it," said Isabel, "so what?" "This means that the law allows Zara Group to go through some procedures before submitting the report," Sullivan said. "You can directly submit the SSR report, but as Jack is eager to point out, direct submission will mess up a lot of things. So we should do The most important is to submit a request to investigate the evidence of intelligent organisms. This request is basically a request from the relevant companies for a judge to decide whether the existing evidence is sufficient to support the submission of the SSR report. There are three types of ruling results: support the submission, not submit or further research.” "What's the meaning of the last item?" asked Holloway. "It means that the judge ordered the evidence to be handed over to the official alien biology experts of the colony planet for research, and while they are researching, companies with exploration and mining rights can continue to operate as usual," Sullivan said, "This is good for everyone." "It's not good for everyone," Isabel said, "every time the Zara Group digs a bit of resources from the planet, Maomao will have less to use in the future." "The colony star official requires companies to save a part of the income they get from the planet, waiting for the final research results," Sullivan said, "in case they are needed at that time." "How much?" Isabel asked. "Ten percent," said Sullivan. "Ten percent!" cried Isabel, "that's too little." "It's better than nothing. If you submit the SSR report now, Mao Mao will have nothing." Sullivan said. "I don't want to be picky, but it seems to be full of conflicts of interest for the Zara Group to submit a request to investigate whether the Zara Group will shut down all operations on the planet." Holloway said. "Therefore, the investigation will be conducted under the auspices of the official court of Colonial Planet," Sullivan said, "and the final ruling has legal force. If the judge rules that the Zara Group must submit the SSR report, the company will have to submit it two weeks later, and, after submitting There will be a complete shutdown within two weeks pending sentencing." "So our goal is 'further research,'" Holloway said. "We don't have any goals," Sullivan said. "The decision is up to the judge. But as I just said, I think it's in everyone's best interest to 'further study' this outcome, Isabel, rather than filing a formal SSR report. I can’t prove that the consequences of Mao Mao’s ability to speak are not so serious, so it’s good for you. At least there will be an expert on alien intelligent creatures to study and make a final judgment. Jack, no matter what the final judgment is, you can get the money, so it’s good for you. Maybe in the end you won’t be able to earn billions from the Sun Mine, but you can secure several million, I think you should be content.” "Perhaps," said Holloway. "This is also good for the Zara Group. It is completely in accordance with the law and is beyond reproach." Sullivan said, "Even if the Zara Group must give up Zara 23 in the end, the company still has sufficient time to buffer the impact of this news on the stock price. No Huge stock price changes, no severe labor pains, and no accidents that big companies hate most. And for Maomao—” The three humans looked at the Mao Maos together, and four of them were lying on the floor and taking a nap.Ban Ban, who was still awake, climbed onto the desk and was climbing the edge of the desk.Suddenly, it let out a joyful cry, jumped off the desk and landed straight on Grandpa Mao Mao's head.Grandpa Fuzzy (now Holloway knows it's not a grandpa, but it's too late to change his name) roared in surprise and anger, and ran around chasing Scabbers, slapping it on the head one after another.Karl was afraid that the world would not be chaotic, so he ran along happily.Three seconds later, all the furries ran around like fools, you pat me, I thump you, it's like a furry farce. "—at least they'll get a chance to prove they're intelligent." Sullivan said, waving his hand at the Fuzzies, "but I'll tell you the truth, Isabel, it doesn't look like the little ones you've found are very smart. " "Well," said Isabel mildly, "I think you're underestimating the timing and skill of good comedy." "With all due respect," Sullivan said. "I'm rooting for Isabel this time," Holloway said. "It's better than anything." "That's true," said Sullivan. "Three what?" asked Isabelle. The men looked at her with a mixture of surprise and sympathy. On the floor of the cabin, the Fluffy and Carl collapsed, exhausted.
Notes:
As soon as they landed, Holloway brought Sullivan to Carl and the furries.He had already spoken to Mr. Lawyer about Momo during the flight so as not to scare him.Sullivan calmly met the animals and turned to Isabel.Sullivan and Isabel greeted each other with kisses, and Holloway looked away out of politeness, only to find that the Momo family had no such intentions.They stared openly at this never-before-seen form of human interaction. Sullivan found out too. "Kissing hasn't gotten this big of an audience since I was voted Homecoming Prom King," he said.He bent down and watched the little ones carefully.They circled him too, eyeing them equally curiously.Karl has seen more humans than Mao Mao, and he doesn't think Sullivan is very strange, so he went straight to its owner. Isabel looked at Holloway. "You survived," she said. "Thanks to Mark," said Holloway, patting his dog, "thanks for sending the word for him to come." "Don't you think I won't help you," Isabel said. "Of course not," said Holloway, "we've all been apart for so long." Isabelle smiled. By this time the baby had hugged Sullivan. "They're so cute!" He patted the baby gently. "Especially this one, the girl reminds me of the cats I used to have." "It's not a girl, actually," said Isabelle. "Really?" Sullivan was surprised. "Really?" So did Holloway. "Really," said Isabelle, "that's the consequence of your preconceptions." "Last time we met you also thought the baby was a female," Holloway said. "That's when I thought you checked, Jack," Isabel said. "I should have known you wouldn't." "Thanks," Holloway said. "You're welcome, but that's not what I meant," said Isabel. "The other higher animals on this planet reproduce sexually, but they have only one sex. All organisms here produce germ cells with a single set of chromosomes, It can fertilize other cells, but it also has a reproductive cavity to cultivate young, and it can be oviparous or viviparous, depending on the species." "So they're hermaphrodites," Sullivan said. "No," said Isabel, seeing Sullivan's confused face. "On Earth, you could say that, because there are two sexes. But animals on this planet have never developed male and female differences. There is only one Gender. Life is unisexual here." Her eyes returned to Holloway, "I already knew that, so I said I should have known, Jack." "Then you're sure our furry friends are all alike, male and female," Jack said. "Pretty sure," Isabel said, "their sex organs are the same as other large creatures." "How do you know?" said Holloway. "Obviously because I checked," said Isabelle. "Oh, that's disgusting," said Holloway. "You're a terrible biologist, Jack," said Isabel. "I have to be on Jack's side," Sullivan said. "It's really awkward." "Thanks, Mark," said Holloway. Isabel looked at them angrily: "Are you two finished?" "So they're like clones?" Sullivan said, setting the baby down to observe the rest of the Fluffy. "But they don't look alike." "They're not clones," said Isabelle. "If they were like the other organisms here, they would have a protein membrane around their germ cells, and each individual's protein membrane is different from each other. Germ cells with the same protein membrane can't interact with each other." Fusion. Cloning is possible only when the body's chemistry is altered by environmental stress to produce germ cells without protein membranes. But this is very rare." "Now you're showing off how much you know," Holloway said. Isabel stuck out her tongue. "I wrote a paper on a related topic," Isabel said. "If I remember correctly, Jack, you said you read it." "I may have read it," said Holloway, "but that doesn't mean I understand it." Isabel snorted disdainfully, and then pointed at the furs, who were tired of hearing it, and scattered to go about their own activities. "This is one thing for sure - Maomao definitely belongs to this planet. Their overall biological characteristics are consistent with other vertebrates on this planet, and they are well adapted to the surrounding environment. I can basically judge that they are local creatures, but collecting some Biological evidence is of course better. I have already collected some genetic samples, and I can confirm it by taking it back to the laboratory for comparison. Once I confirm it, I can start the next step.” "My God," said Holloway, "here she is again." "What's next?" said Sullivan, looking from Isabel to Holloway. "Your girlfriend is determined not to say that our furry friend is human," Holloway said. "Human?" Sullivan repeated, turning to look at Isabel. "Yes." Isabelle said. "Smart creatures? Humans? Not 'I treat my pets as human beings'?" Sullivan asked. "Is that so unbelievable?" Isabelle said. "A little bit," Sullivan said. "They're really cute, friendly, and seem to be very smart. I already want to get one for my niece in Arizona. But that doesn't mean they're human." "Thanks again, Mark," Holloway said. "Obviously there is a difference of opinion between the two of you." Sullivan still looked at Isabel, but nodded at Holloway. "Well," Isabelle said to him, "but unlike Jack, who only hoped that Mao Mao would not get in his way of getting rich, I had other things to do. While he was running away and didn't know what to do—" "—when it was almost eaten by Zara Velociraptor," Holloway added. "—I've spent a lot of time watching furries, watching how they live, videotaping and taking notes," Isabelle said. Not intelligent beings." She turned to Holloway, "You were almost eaten by Zara Velociraptor?" "Yeah," said Holloway. "Why don't you tell me?" Isabel asked. "I was out of danger of being digested when I wrote you a message," Holloway said. "I need you to worry about what I'm going to do next, not what I've done." "You should tell me anyway," Isabel said. "You're not my girlfriend anymore," Holloway said. "I'm still your friend," said Isabel. "Is this going to work?" Sullivan interrupted them. "While the relationship between the two of you is very interesting, I still want to return to the topic that these little guys may be intelligent creatures. That's why you asked me to come." huh, Isabel?" "Sorry," said Isabelle, "that's what happened to me when I met Jack." "I found that many people met him like this." Sullivan said, "I know this, let's put it aside for now." "Okay, no problem," said Isabel, glancing at Holloway again. Although he was in the awkward position of his ex-boyfriend, Holloway admired the ease with which Sullivan brought Isabel back to the point.Holloway never did that.Every time he pissed off Isabel, the more he tried to appease her, the more they broke up.They were always at loggerheads, and there was always a simmering tension between the two of them in the end.Holloway, it should be said, deftly deflected disputes—he was a barrister, and he was adept at it, until he hit Stern on the nose—but there was something about Isabel that made him want to fight, That's not good for a relationship. "Wait a minute," Holloway said, and Isabel and Sullivan looked at him sideways. "Isabel, you're right," he said, "I should tell you because you're my friend. I'm sorry." Holloway could almost see the sarcasm flashing in Isabel's eyes, surprised that he actually apologized, or sincerely.Then all responses disappeared. "Thank you, Jack," she said quietly at last.He nodded. "Continue to talk about Mao Mao?" Sullivan proposed expectantly. "Why don't we go into the house," Isabel said, "we all take cans of beer and sit down to drink slowly. I'll show you the video and notes, and you can judge for yourself whether my evidence is convincing or not." "Watching a video while drinking!" Holloway said. "I'm willing to pay for it."
Isabel showed Holloway and Sullivan the two-hour video clips she took, which recorded various activities of Maomao. She believed that these can fully show that Maomao has advanced spiritual knowledge of intelligent creatures, which is far beyond the intelligence of ordinary animals.When they were watching the video, from time to time a fur would climb up to watch it together, and then left after watching it for a few minutes.The little ones are tired of looking at themselves on the information boards. After the video demonstration, Isabel took out her notes and cross-referenced Mao Mao's behavior with intelligent creatures such as humans, Ula tribes, and mud bumps. She double-checked her data and conclusions, and listed notes and references.By the time she had shown it all, Holloway was almost convinced, though reluctantly, that the Fuzzies were really intelligent beings. "Not very reliable," Sullivan said as soon as Isabel finished her presentation. "What?" said Isabelle, thinking she had misheard. "You heard what I said, Isabel," said Sullivan as gently as possible, "I don't think it's plausible." "Then your definition of unreliable is very strange," said Isabelle. “Actually, right now this is my definition of unreliable,” Sullivan said. “I think unreliable is because these little guys can’t talk. They don’t talk to each other, they don’t talk to us, you’re very It’s hard to convince people.” "My God, you're exactly like Jack," Isabel said.Holloway twitched the corners of his mouth into a strange smile. "Language is only one of the criteria for judging intelligent organisms. There are many others listed in the case of 'Cheng v. Blue Sky Group'." "I know," Sullivan said, "but as a legal counsel, while I'm not an expert on ET law, I also know that in the eyes of a layperson—including any judge hearing a case like this—speaking Ability is the most difficult indicator to achieve. Not only is it difficult to meet, language is often the decisive indicator.” Isabel glared at Sullivan angrily and said, "You mean even if Mao Mao meets every other standard listed, it doesn't count if they can't speak." "I mean," said Sullivan, "so far, there is no intelligent creature that we have discovered and confirmed that can't speak. There are some behaviors that humans don't have in the Ula tribe, some behaviors that the Ula tribe doesn't have, and some behaviors that the Ula tribe doesn't have in humans. No, nothing like that. But the behavior we all have, Isabel, is language." "That doesn't negate the possibility of intelligent beings that don't speak," Isabel said. "No," Sullivan said. "It's possible. Your problem, Isabel, is not that you're bad, but your thinking is that of a biologist, not that of a lawyer." Isabelle sneered: "I don't think that's a problem." "Normally not," Sullivan said, "but it's a matter for a court of law, not a lab. You also have to remember that if your furry friends are intelligent beings, the Zara Group loses its place." mining rights, and lost minerals worth billions of credit coins, including the sunstone mine that Jack just found. Zara Group's revenue, profit and stock price will suffer a major impact. Although this will not affect you, it will affect Zara Group. Big. So if you submit a suspected intelligence report and you don't have evidence that the little ones can talk, but other intelligent creatures can talk, I guarantee that Zara's lawyers will seize on this point and make a big fuss. " "I would," Holloway said. "Me too," Sullivan said. "You won't," Isabel said. "Won't I?" Sullivan said. "I'm representing the Zara Group, Isabel, not you or the fuzzies. If Janice Meyer puts me in this case, I'll have to go to court." "Excellent," Isabelle said, turning her back on her boyfriend. "But that's not going to happen," Sullivan said. "When you think about it, Isabel, intelligent beings cases are the lifelong pursuit of any lawyer, no matter what side you represent. I'm sure Janice doesn't want to be Zara 23 for the rest of her life." General Counsel on the planet, if I get in her way and prevent her from taking this case, she will fly a spaceship into me. But you called me here to ask my opinion on this matter, right? This is me If you submit a report on suspected intelligent creatures now, you will be completely overturned." "So you think I should keep quiet about Momo," Isabel said, "just like Jack." "I didn't silence you," Holloway said. "I want you to be very sure before reporting." "I'm pretty sure," Isabel retorted, "but now it sounds like I'm not sure enough. By the time I find enough evidence to convince others, the Zara Group has already dug up the planet. I might as well shut up." .” "Honestly, you can't shut up now," Sullivan said. "What?" Holloway called out before Isabel. "Colonial Star officially requires companies that hold survey and mining rights to report once they find evidence of suspected intelligent creatures," Sullivan said, "Now you tell me, as a legally certified legal representative of the Zara Group, the law and the company's articles of association stipulate I have to report to my superiors." "You never told me this before," Isabel said. "You didn't tell me why you asked me to come," Sullivan pointed out. "Besides, you have to think about it a little bit. You asked me for my opinion as a lawyer. I have always been a lawyer for the Zara Group, and you have always been a lawyer for Zara Group." Biologists at La Group." "But you just said that once I submit the report, it will be dismissed." Isabel said, "Maomao will not be recognized." "Not to mention that all excavation here will be stopped," Holloway said. Sullivan smiled and held up his hand. "Everyone take a deep breath," he said. "Isabel, there is another way to facilitate a hearing about the identity of Fuzzy as a sentient being, and neither you nor the Fuzzies will suffer from it. As for Jack, this method is also temporary. You’re not going to suffer the loss of not being able to mine the minerals.” Isabel and Holloway look at me and I look at you. "And then?" Holloway asked Sullivan. "Aren't you going to tell us?" "I'm enjoying the dramatic pause of the moment," Sullivan said. "Don't be silly, Mark," said Isabel. "Okay," Sullivan put down his hand and said, "You remember when I said that exploration and mining companies are obliged to report any evidence of intelligent life. This means that Zara Group should report, not me or you." "Got it," said Isabel, "so what?" "This means that the law allows Zara Group to go through some procedures before submitting the report," Sullivan said. "You can directly submit the SSR report, but as Jack is eager to point out, direct submission will mess up a lot of things. So we should do The most important is to submit a request to investigate the evidence of intelligent organisms. This request is basically a request from the relevant companies for a judge to decide whether the existing evidence is sufficient to support the submission of the SSR report. There are three types of ruling results: support the submission, not submit or further research.” "What's the meaning of the last item?" asked Holloway. "It means that the judge ordered the evidence to be handed over to the official alien biology experts of the colony planet for research, and while they are researching, companies with exploration and mining rights can continue to operate as usual," Sullivan said, "This is good for everyone." "It's not good for everyone," Isabel said, "every time the Zara Group digs a bit of resources from the planet, Maomao will have less to use in the future." "The colony star official requires companies to save a part of the income they get from the planet, waiting for the final research results," Sullivan said, "in case they are needed at that time." "How much?" Isabel asked. "Ten percent," said Sullivan. "Ten percent!" cried Isabel, "that's too little." "It's better than nothing. If you submit the SSR report now, Mao Mao will have nothing." Sullivan said. "I don't want to be picky, but it seems to be full of conflicts of interest for the Zara Group to submit a request to investigate whether the Zara Group will shut down all operations on the planet." Holloway said. "Therefore, the investigation will be conducted under the auspices of the official court of Colonial Planet," Sullivan said, "and the final ruling has legal force. If the judge rules that the Zara Group must submit the SSR report, the company will have to submit it two weeks later, and, after submitting There will be a complete shutdown within two weeks pending sentencing." "So our goal is 'further research,'" Holloway said. "We don't have any goals," Sullivan said. "The decision is up to the judge. But as I just said, I think it's in everyone's best interest to 'further study' this outcome, Isabel, rather than filing a formal SSR report. I can’t prove that the consequences of Mao Mao’s ability to speak are not so serious, so it’s good for you. At least there will be an expert on alien intelligent creatures to study and make a final judgment. Jack, no matter what the final judgment is, you can get the money, so it’s good for you. Maybe in the end you won’t be able to earn billions from the Sun Mine, but you can secure several million, I think you should be content.” "Perhaps," said Holloway. "This is also good for the Zara Group. It is completely in accordance with the law and is beyond reproach." Sullivan said, "Even if the Zara Group must give up Zara 23 in the end, the company still has sufficient time to buffer the impact of this news on the stock price. No Huge stock price changes, no severe labor pains, and no accidents that big companies hate most. And for Maomao—” The three humans looked at the Mao Maos together, and four of them were lying on the floor and taking a nap.Ban Ban, who was still awake, climbed onto the desk and was climbing the edge of the desk.Suddenly, it let out a joyful cry, jumped off the desk and landed straight on Grandpa Mao Mao's head.Grandpa Fuzzy (now Holloway knows it's not a grandpa, but it's too late to change his name) roared in surprise and anger, and ran around chasing Scabbers, slapping it on the head one after another.Karl was afraid that the world would not be chaotic, so he ran along happily.Three seconds later, all the furries ran around like fools, you pat me, I thump you, it's like a furry farce. "—at least they'll get a chance to prove they're intelligent." Sullivan said, waving his hand at the Fuzzies, "but I'll tell you the truth, Isabel, it doesn't look like the little ones you've found are very smart. " "Well," said Isabel mildly, "I think you're underestimating the timing and skill of good comedy." "With all due respect," Sullivan said. "I'm rooting for Isabel this time," Holloway said. "It's better than anything." "That's true," said Sullivan. "Three what?" asked Isabelle. The men looked at her with a mixture of surprise and sympathy. On the floor of the cabin, the Fluffy and Carl collapsed, exhausted.
Notes: