Chapter 22 Chapter 22 A Lesson Worth 600 Billion
Judge Nedra Soden sat down and looked around her courtroom. "Here we go again," she said to Holloway and Janice Meyer, who were standing behind the defense desk. "Is it still about Maomao this time, lawyers?"
"No, Your Honor," Mayer said.She represents Dries, who is with her on the defense bench.
"I do think the defense is a little ape-like, Your Honor," said Holloway.
"Talk carefully, Mr. Holloway," said Soden, picking up her notes to read. "It says you are representing yourself."
"I was looking for someone else, but he was deported from the planet today," Holloway said, "so I'm on my own."
"You know what people say about defending yourself, Mr. Holloway," said Thorden.
"Well, I know," said Holloway, "but I know the law. I used to be a lawyer."
"You're disqualified," Mayer said.
"It's not that I don't know the law," Holloway said.
"Well, I know," Thorden said. "After seeing your last court appearance, I went to your file. You beat your client."
"He deserves it," Holloway said.
"Perhaps," said Thorden, "but disqualification is a light punishment if you dare to do that here, do you understand, Mr. Holloway?"
"I promise you I won't beat my client," Holloway said.
"Quite a witty one, Mr. Holloway," said Soden. "Sit down."
Everyone take their seats.
"This is a preliminary trial presided over by a judge." Soden's tone sounded like this cliché, she had said it countless times, and everyone in the room knew what she was going to say next, "When the conditions of the colonial planet are insufficient or difficult to Convene a grand jury, and with the unanimous consent of both the prosecution and the defense, may request that the evidence involved in the case and related evidence be submitted to the judge for review, and the judge will judge whether the evidence is sufficient and whether further formal court trials should be held, both criminal and civil. Do it. Do the prosecution and the defense agree to make this request?"
"Agreed, Your Honor," Mayer said.
"Agreed, Your Honor," said Holloway.
"Lawyers, the purpose of this trial is only for the judge to decide whether the evidence is sufficient and whether a formal trial should be held. This trial itself is not a formal trial, so the rules of a regular trial do not apply. Do you understand?" Soden said , "that is, it is possible for either of you, or both of you, to have no prior knowledge of witnesses or evidence presented by the other."
"Understood," Mayer said.
"Understood," Holloway said.
"Lawyers, if it is really necessary to hold a formal trial, then the rulings of this preliminary trial will have legal effect and continue until the formal trial is held. Do you understand?" Soden said.
Both Meyer and Holloway said they understood.
"Okay," said Soden, "so we start with Mr. Holloway. What are you accusing Mr. Dries of?"
"He burned my house down," Holloway said.
"Arson, then," said Soden.
"Well, arson," Holloway said, "as well as attempted arson on the outskirts of my house, vandalism of private property and attempted murder."
"You weren't home when the fire started," Thorden said.
"He didn't know I wasn't home until he got to my house," Holloway said.
"Let's get this far, Holloway," said Thornden. "I will proceed with the arson and destruction of private property charges. If, when you present the evidence, you prove attempted arson and attempted murder, I'll consider the other charges. Two charges."
"Yes, Your Honor," said Holloway.
"Ms. Meyer, is your client willing to admit to these allegations?" Soden asked.
"No, Your Honor," Meyer said. "Many witnesses could alibi my client on the day of the crime."
"Of course," Thorden made some notes, raised his head and said, "Okay, Mr. Holloway, the prosecution will make its statement first."
"Thank you, Your Honor," Holloway said, picking up his information board and connecting it to the big screen in the courtroom. "The first piece of evidence I'm going to present is a surveillance video of my residence. I put it on my desk. I set up a camera, and took video non-stop, and sent it to the memory of my message board. Just the right thing to use as evidence in this case, since the camera itself was destroyed in the fire."
"Was this footage captured by a high-security camera?" Meyer asked.
"No," said Holloway.
"So you may have tampered with the video," Meyer said.
"I am willing to write a formal affidavit to the court that this video has not been doctored or edited, and I am willing to testify in open court on this point," Holloway said.
"We'll see then," Soden said. "For now, let's watch the footage."
"Okay, Your Honor." Holloway began to play the video on the big screen: the spaceship landed in front of Holloway's hut, a man got out of the spaceship and tried to pry the window to open the door, he saw Mao Mao, and trampled the baby to death , fighting with Banban.Holloway stole a sideways glance at Meyer, who looked horrified at what the man had done to Momo, while Dries sat blankly.
"Stop," said Soden suddenly.Holloway paused the tape and the judge asked him: "Is this a prank, Mr Holloway?"
"What do you mean, Your Honor?" asked Holloway.
"The video so far doesn't have any information about arson," Thorden said. "I just saw a person killing a small animal. Although it is disgusting, it has nothing to do with your allegations."
"First of all, I must declare to your honor that you just witnessed the victimization of these furry creatures. We are still waiting to determine whether they are intelligent creatures or ordinary animals," Holloway said. The man in my house - I think it was Mr Dries - also committed the murder."
"Mr Holloway," Judge Sowden tried to interrupt.
"However, this is not my allegation in this case, and I have not made a murder charge," Holloway added quickly, "but the person's behavior of hurting Maomao is relevant to this case, and you will know it after reading."
"I'm waiting," Thorden said.
"Well, your honor, it's almost here." Holloway continued.The man threw Scabbers to the ground and shot it. "That's the gun. You saw this fluffy fleeing towards my cabin. The man kept firing and a bullet went into my cabin. I suspect that's the shot that started the fire. You wait a minute, And the smoke went up." Everyone in the courtroom kept watching, waiting for the smoke to come up, and they all saw the man trampling the defenseless baby, shooting it, and throwing the body into the burning cabin.Meyer looked like he was going to throw up.great.thought Holloway.
Holloway clicked the button to stop recording when the camera failed to capture the picture.
"Ms. Meyer," said Soden after a minute, "do you have anything to say?"
Meyer blinked, coughed twice to cover her shock, and came back to herself. "The footage showing someone accidentally setting Mr Holloway's cabin on fire does not mean that person was Mr Dries," she said.
"The individual attempted to break and enter the cabin before starting the fire, meaning his arson was connected to an attempted crime," Holloway said. "Under Colonial law, this is a third-degree arson offense."
"The person in this case may have had other purposes at the scene of the crime," Meyer said.
"In this sweltering jungle," Holloway retorted, "with a ski mask on? Besides, this person encounters other creatures—sapient or not—whose immediate reaction is to kick and shoot They. If Momo is an intelligent being, this is murder. He didn't come here to drop by, Your Honor. Now you can see why I think the intruder's motives include murdering me."
"Based on this footage, the charge of attempted murder remains unfounded," Soden said, "but I agree that the charges of arson and destruction of property are reasonable."
"Even so, there is no evidence that the person in the video is my client," Mayer said. "In fact, there is evidence to the contrary. Mr. Holloway?" Mayer reached out for the message board, Holloway gave her.Meyer goes back to the very beginning of the film when the spaceship lands. "Here," she said, "look at the spaceship."
"What happened to the ship?" Thorden said.
Meyer pointed to the spaceship, "Look at the serial number on the side," she said, "This is the spaceship of the Zara Group, not the sheriff's special spaceship that my client has access to. This model is a contract assigned to the Zara Group Used by surveyor representatives so they can inspect their surveyors on the ground."
"Then look up the serial number in the database of the Zara Group, and you will know who owns the spacecraft." Soden said.
"We don't need to look into it," Mayer said. "We already know. He's outside the courtroom, waiting to testify."
"You understand you're testifying under oath," Thorden said. "Understood." Chad Burne replied. "Please state your name and company," Soden said. "Chad Byrne, contract surveyor representative for the Zara Group," he said. "You ask," Soden said to Meyer. "Mr. Byrne, are you Mr. Holloway's contract representative?" Mayer asked. "Yes," said Byrne. "How long have you been his representative?" Mayer asked. "I've been representing Zara 23 since I came here," Byrne said. "It's been about seven years now." "What's your general take on Holloway?" Mayer said. "Can I swear?" Bourne asked. "No," Thornton said. "Then the best way to describe it is as tension between us," Byrne said. "Is there any specific reason?" Mayer said. "How much time do you have to listen to me?" Bourne asked. "Let's pick the key points," Mayer said. "He's insincere about CEPA regulations and Zara Group regulations, he talks back, he argues everything like a lawyer, he ignores me when I don't ask him to do something, he's just a jerk in general. said Byrne, without taking his eyes off Holloway. "Is there a bright side to him?" Mayer asked, a little confused. "I like his dog," Byrne said. "Did you say you hated Mr. Holloway?" Mayer asked. "Often," Bourne said. "Mr. Byrne, are you aware that your ship could be used in a crime?" Mayer asked. "I guessed it when my ship was seized the other day," Byrne said. "Well," Meyer said, "we found remnants of an extinguishing agent on the ship, the same brand of extinguishing agent that Mr. Holloway used." "Oh," Bourne said. "We also saw your ship's serial number on a video," Meyer said. "Okay," Bourne said. "Mr. Bourne, can you explain your whereabouts on the day Mr. Holloway's cabin was on fire?" Mayer asked. "I stayed home sick," Byrne said. "So you haven't met anyone, and no one has seen you," Meyer said. "No," said Byrne. Meyer turned to Soden, ready to bring up another possible suspect in the arson attack. "Wait, I was wrong," Byrne said. "I met someone else." Meyer's words got stuck in his throat. "What?" she asked. "I've met people," Byrne said. "Who?" Mayer asked. "He," Bourne said, pointing at Holloway, "I'll tell him that I made a small mistake. The sunstone mine he found does not belong to the Zara Group, but to himself." "What?" Mayer said. "What?" Soden was also surprised. "That's right," said Byrne, "I terminated his contract right before he found the quarry. I did it for a reason. But when he said he found the sun quarry, I thought maybe it was because I I was so excited that I forgot to restore his contract. With that contract, Sunstone Mine was owned by the Zara Group. When I was sorting out the contracts at home a while ago, I found that his contract was missing. So I checked, according to' He owns the Sunstone Mine. I think Zara Group might be able to get it back from him, but then we'd have to Overturning the precedent in 'Green v Winston', the last time the Zara Group tried to do this, the consequences were too serious and I couldn't risk it. So I felt obliged to tell him about it. Just as I knew the day he was coming to Austria Bree is down, so I went to talk to him about it. I guess he wants to know he's worth 1.2 trillion credits. I'd want to know, who wouldn't?" There was a sudden silence in the courtroom. "Come on!" Meyer finally yelled. "You don't really think Holloway owns that sun quarry." "It really belongs to him," Byrne said. "My mistake, sorry." "Sorry?" Meyer said. "The only person who can confirm your whereabouts is the plaintiff, and you happened to let him sit on hundreds of billions of Zara Group credits? I would say sorry, too coincidental." "Can I object?" said Holloway, holding up his hand. "What reason, Mr. Holloway," said Soden. "I didn't understand clearly, or the defendant suggested that this witness set fire to my hut one second, and then suspected that he and I partnered to defraud the Zara Group in the next second. It was just a sentence, and the defendant's position appeared like this The big twist?" Holloway asked. Thorden looked at Meyer. "He raised reasonable doubts, Ms. Meyer," Soden said. "Your Honor, among other things, this is very suspicious," Meyer said. "Mr. Holloway accused my client of arson, and he was the only witness in Mr. Byrne's alibi." "Well, Mark Sullivan was there," said Holloway. "What?" Mayer said. "I was at the Sullivans' house when Bourne approached me about this," Holloway said. "He was a credible witness. He used to work for Ms. Meyer." "Well," said Soden, "I'll have a clerk bring him." "I'm afraid not," Meyer said. "Why?" Soden asked. "He's been promoted," Holloway said. "He's now the new general counsel on Zara 11, and he's leaving today." "Are you going to leave, or have you already left?" Soden said, looking back and forth between Holloway and Meyer. "It's gone," Meyer said. "Going to leave," Holloway said. "He's three hours away, and he's probably hanging out in the Starliner passenger lounge right now." Soden stared at Meyer sternly. "To make your future narrative more accurate, I remind you, Ms. Meyer, that if people are still on the planet, they haven't left." "Understood, Your Honor," Mayer said. "I'll send someone to rebook Mr. Sullivan on the next boat," said Soden, "and send someone to bring him here. It will take about half an hour. We'll adjourn the court until he comes. She stood up and said to Bourne, "You can leave the witness box, but don't go far." So Bourne stood up too. "Can I come before the bench, Your Honor?" Mayer asked. Soden blinked. "What didn't you understand about the adjournment, Ms. Meyer?" she asked. "I beg you, Your Honor," Mayer said.Soden sat down unhappily, motioning for Meyer and Holloway to come forward. "We need to discuss ownership of that sunstone mine," Meyer said. "No, we don't," said Soden. "It has nothing to do with the case except to establish Mr. Byrne's alibi." “This is about everything on this planet,” Meyer said. “Mr. Byrne testified in open court that Sunstone is not owned by Zara. This puts us in a dangerous position and we need a preliminary ruling immediately.” "We'll see when this trial is over," Soden said. "The longer they wait, the more flimsy their legal case will be," Holloway said. "As an interested party, I would also like to get a preliminary ruling, as soon as possible." Soden's eyes became sharp again. "Okay," she said, "you two come into my office. I'll give you ten minutes to make your case. Be quick, and we'll go on to the preliminary hearing as soon as Mr. Sullivan steps into this courtroom." Soden's office has so little room for her alone that six people would be a bit overwhelming.In addition to Soden, Meyer and Holloway, Chad Byrne, Brad Langdon and Weedon Aubrey VII were all called by Meyer temporarily. "It's so warm," said Holloway, leaning against the wall. Soden, who was sitting behind his desk, gave him a glare, then said to Mayer, "Let's go, hurry up." “Mr Byrne has no right to give Holloway title to the property,” Meyer said. “He is just a representative of the contract surveyors, not the board.” "That's completely irrelevant," Holloway said. "Bourne didn't say he had that right. He just said he terminated my contract. After he did that, the mines were on the precedent of the Burtes case. It's mine." "If your contract is void, from that moment on you are on the planet illegally," Meyer said. "I know you are loyal to the company, Ms. Meyer." Holloway said, "but the regulations of the Zara Group are different from the laws of the colony planet. Surveyors without contracts stay on Chara 23, violating Zara Group rules, but not against the law. Also, Zara Group rules should be enforced by the group itself. I can’t be blamed for not being expelled by the company.” "We'll do it right away," Aubrey said, causing Langdon to shudder almost imperceptibly. The reason why Langdon made this small move became clear in a second, and Thorden suddenly straightened up, "If you threaten me again, Mr. Aubrey, you will stay in the detention center of your company for a while." she says. "That's all right, Your Honor," Holloway said, "but I must state that I will not permit any exploitation of the Sunstone Mine in my name without my supervision. Trustworthy helpers are not easy to find." "Quiet, Holloway," Thorden said, and she asked Byrne again, "Mr. Byrne, are you sure you terminated Mr. Holloway's contract before he discovered the sunstone?" "Yes, Your Honor," Bourne handed her his information board, "this is an order to terminate the contract. You will see that after this, Mr. Holloway and I signed the contract attachment to the original contract, Because his discovery brought about changes in some clauses. However, because the original contract to which the contract appendix belongs has not been reactivated, the appendix itself is naturally invalid." Thorden read the board for several minutes, looking up at Meyer. "No one reviews things like this?" she asked. "All contracts are standardized and handled by the surveyor's representative," Meyer's tone was stiff. "Legal advisors only look at the contracts marked by the representative." Soden looked at Bourne again. "You did not mark this contract," she said. "I marked the annex to the contract." After Bourne said, he took the information board and fiddled with it for a few seconds, and called up the document history. "There are only special changes in the contract appendix. There is no need to mark the standard contract, because it is all standardized." "It's just that you forgot to reactivate." Soden took back the information board, looked at it again and said. "Yes, Your Honor," said Byrne. "Is the signature on the attachment yours, Ms. Meyer," said Soden. "Yes," Mayer said. Soden put down the information board. "It's not complicated," she said. "Since there is no contract, the precedent of Burtes applies." "Mr. Holloway believed he had a contract," Meyer said. "You mean Mr. Holloway is legally liable to perform a contract that doesn't exist because he believes it exists?" Soden asked, "No, Ms. Meyer. It's the Zara Group that's running rampant on this planet." Bogey, you all want to get a preliminary trial judgment on the spot in any case. The judgment is here-I have ruled in favor of Mr. Holloway, and the formal trial has to be further scheduled. This is a civil case. If I remember correctly, you will It's already been lined up quite a bit. So I'll probably have a trial in a year's time." "We ask that you bring this case to the top of your timetable, Your Honor," Meyer said. "I would consider it," Soden said, "but not today." "This ruling will stop all mining operations on Zara 23," Brad Langdon said. "Tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs. Your preliminary ruling has already made them unemployed, but they don't know it yet." That's all." "It's up to Mr. Holloway, isn't it?" Soden said, looking at Holloway. "I have to say I'm really touched by how much Zara Group cares about ordinary employees," Holloway said. "So I'm happy to keep the mine operating, and I'm asking for half of the gross income." Langdon paled, and he repeated, "Half." "You can give me as much as you want," Holloway said. "At the same time the Zara Group is paying for all the labor and machinery?" Aubrey joined the conversation. "Ms. Meyer said," said Holloway, "that only Zara Group employees and contract surveyors are allowed to operate on this planet. Let me know when you're going to change that. Until then, it costs you .” "This way of bearing the cost is unfair." Langdon protested. "Half the income, or we won't talk about it." Holloway interrupted him, "This is my condition, either accept it or shut up." Langdon looked at Aubrey, who nodded slightly. "A deal," Langdon said. "Very well, everyone is happy," said Soden, standing up. "Now please leave, I have other things." She opened the door of her small private lounge and stepped in. Aubrey shot Bourne in the eye, who was sitting nearby. "Damn little bug," he cursed, "you'll never get a job again. I promise you that." Byrne stared back hard. "Hmph," he said, "that's what your lawyer intended, wasn't it? The only difference now is that you lost 600 billion credits for the decision that ruined my career and my life. Hope this lesson Well worth it, you pompous bastard." With that he stood up and left the room.
"Please state your name," Thorden said. "Mark Sullivan," Sullivan said, "I'm a lawyer and I just don't have a job right now." "Mr. Sullivan, did you have any guests on the day Mr. Holloway came to visit you?" Thorden asked. "Except Mr. Holloway, you mean?" said Sullivan. "Yes." Soden said. "I had two other guests that day," said Sullivan. "Three if you count Jack's dog. Besides Jack and his dog, Isabel Vanga was there that day, a mutual friend. And It was just a brief encounter between Jack and Chad Burne." "Do you know what they talked about?" Soden asked. "I don't know," Sullivan said. "They spoke in a low voice, and Jack didn't tell me after that. Then Isabel came, and we talked about other things." Soden looked at Meyer: "Any other questions?" "No, Your Honor," Meyer said. "We will still call witnesses to prove the whereabouts of Mr. Dries on the day of the murder. At present, we have only proved that Mr. Byrne had nothing to do with the incident." "I guess that's enough for him," said Soden. "Mr. Sullivan, you can leave. My clerk will take you to the Starliner terminal." "I would like to stay, if you will allow me," said Sullivan. "My flight is twelve hours away." "As you wish," Thorden said. "Mr. Holloway, please present your second piece of evidence."
Notes:
"You understand you're testifying under oath," Thorden said. "Understood." Chad Burne replied. "Please state your name and company," Soden said. "Chad Byrne, contract surveyor representative for the Zara Group," he said. "You ask," Soden said to Meyer. "Mr. Byrne, are you Mr. Holloway's contract representative?" Mayer asked. "Yes," said Byrne. "How long have you been his representative?" Mayer asked. "I've been representing Zara 23 since I came here," Byrne said. "It's been about seven years now." "What's your general take on Holloway?" Mayer said. "Can I swear?" Bourne asked. "No," Thornton said. "Then the best way to describe it is as tension between us," Byrne said. "Is there any specific reason?" Mayer said. "How much time do you have to listen to me?" Bourne asked. "Let's pick the key points," Mayer said. "He's insincere about CEPA regulations and Zara Group regulations, he talks back, he argues everything like a lawyer, he ignores me when I don't ask him to do something, he's just a jerk in general. said Byrne, without taking his eyes off Holloway. "Is there a bright side to him?" Mayer asked, a little confused. "I like his dog," Byrne said. "Did you say you hated Mr. Holloway?" Mayer asked. "Often," Bourne said. "Mr. Byrne, are you aware that your ship could be used in a crime?" Mayer asked. "I guessed it when my ship was seized the other day," Byrne said. "Well," Meyer said, "we found remnants of an extinguishing agent on the ship, the same brand of extinguishing agent that Mr. Holloway used." "Oh," Bourne said. "We also saw your ship's serial number on a video," Meyer said. "Okay," Bourne said. "Mr. Bourne, can you explain your whereabouts on the day Mr. Holloway's cabin was on fire?" Mayer asked. "I stayed home sick," Byrne said. "So you haven't met anyone, and no one has seen you," Meyer said. "No," said Byrne. Meyer turned to Soden, ready to bring up another possible suspect in the arson attack. "Wait, I was wrong," Byrne said. "I met someone else." Meyer's words got stuck in his throat. "What?" she asked. "I've met people," Byrne said. "Who?" Mayer asked. "He," Bourne said, pointing at Holloway, "I'll tell him that I made a small mistake. The sunstone mine he found does not belong to the Zara Group, but to himself." "What?" Mayer said. "What?" Soden was also surprised. "That's right," said Byrne, "I terminated his contract right before he found the quarry. I did it for a reason. But when he said he found the sun quarry, I thought maybe it was because I I was so excited that I forgot to restore his contract. With that contract, Sunstone Mine was owned by the Zara Group. When I was sorting out the contracts at home a while ago, I found that his contract was missing. So I checked, according to' He owns the Sunstone Mine. I think Zara Group might be able to get it back from him, but then we'd have to Overturning the precedent in 'Green v Winston', the last time the Zara Group tried to do this, the consequences were too serious and I couldn't risk it. So I felt obliged to tell him about it. Just as I knew the day he was coming to Austria Bree is down, so I went to talk to him about it. I guess he wants to know he's worth 1.2 trillion credits. I'd want to know, who wouldn't?" There was a sudden silence in the courtroom. "Come on!" Meyer finally yelled. "You don't really think Holloway owns that sun quarry." "It really belongs to him," Byrne said. "My mistake, sorry." "Sorry?" Meyer said. "The only person who can confirm your whereabouts is the plaintiff, and you happened to let him sit on hundreds of billions of Zara Group credits? I would say sorry, too coincidental." "Can I object?" said Holloway, holding up his hand. "What reason, Mr. Holloway," said Soden. "I didn't understand clearly, or the defendant suggested that this witness set fire to my hut one second, and then suspected that he and I partnered to defraud the Zara Group in the next second. It was just a sentence, and the defendant's position appeared like this The big twist?" Holloway asked. Thorden looked at Meyer. "He raised reasonable doubts, Ms. Meyer," Soden said. "Your Honor, among other things, this is very suspicious," Meyer said. "Mr. Holloway accused my client of arson, and he was the only witness in Mr. Byrne's alibi." "Well, Mark Sullivan was there," said Holloway. "What?" Mayer said. "I was at the Sullivans' house when Bourne approached me about this," Holloway said. "He was a credible witness. He used to work for Ms. Meyer." "Well," said Soden, "I'll have a clerk bring him." "I'm afraid not," Meyer said. "Why?" Soden asked. "He's been promoted," Holloway said. "He's now the new general counsel on Zara 11, and he's leaving today." "Are you going to leave, or have you already left?" Soden said, looking back and forth between Holloway and Meyer. "It's gone," Meyer said. "Going to leave," Holloway said. "He's three hours away, and he's probably hanging out in the Starliner passenger lounge right now." Soden stared at Meyer sternly. "To make your future narrative more accurate, I remind you, Ms. Meyer, that if people are still on the planet, they haven't left." "Understood, Your Honor," Mayer said. "I'll send someone to rebook Mr. Sullivan on the next boat," said Soden, "and send someone to bring him here. It will take about half an hour. We'll adjourn the court until he comes. She stood up and said to Bourne, "You can leave the witness box, but don't go far." So Bourne stood up too. "Can I come before the bench, Your Honor?" Mayer asked. Soden blinked. "What didn't you understand about the adjournment, Ms. Meyer?" she asked. "I beg you, Your Honor," Mayer said.Soden sat down unhappily, motioning for Meyer and Holloway to come forward. "We need to discuss ownership of that sunstone mine," Meyer said. "No, we don't," said Soden. "It has nothing to do with the case except to establish Mr. Byrne's alibi." “This is about everything on this planet,” Meyer said. “Mr. Byrne testified in open court that Sunstone is not owned by Zara. This puts us in a dangerous position and we need a preliminary ruling immediately.” "We'll see when this trial is over," Soden said. "The longer they wait, the more flimsy their legal case will be," Holloway said. "As an interested party, I would also like to get a preliminary ruling, as soon as possible." Soden's eyes became sharp again. "Okay," she said, "you two come into my office. I'll give you ten minutes to make your case. Be quick, and we'll go on to the preliminary hearing as soon as Mr. Sullivan steps into this courtroom." Soden's office has so little room for her alone that six people would be a bit overwhelming.In addition to Soden, Meyer and Holloway, Chad Byrne, Brad Langdon and Weedon Aubrey VII were all called by Meyer temporarily. "It's so warm," said Holloway, leaning against the wall. Soden, who was sitting behind his desk, gave him a glare, then said to Mayer, "Let's go, hurry up." “Mr Byrne has no right to give Holloway title to the property,” Meyer said. “He is just a representative of the contract surveyors, not the board.” "That's completely irrelevant," Holloway said. "Bourne didn't say he had that right. He just said he terminated my contract. After he did that, the mines were on the precedent of the Burtes case. It's mine." "If your contract is void, from that moment on you are on the planet illegally," Meyer said. "I know you are loyal to the company, Ms. Meyer." Holloway said, "but the regulations of the Zara Group are different from the laws of the colony planet. Surveyors without contracts stay on Chara 23, violating Zara Group rules, but not against the law. Also, Zara Group rules should be enforced by the group itself. I can’t be blamed for not being expelled by the company.” "We'll do it right away," Aubrey said, causing Langdon to shudder almost imperceptibly. The reason why Langdon made this small move became clear in a second, and Thorden suddenly straightened up, "If you threaten me again, Mr. Aubrey, you will stay in the detention center of your company for a while." she says. "That's all right, Your Honor," Holloway said, "but I must state that I will not permit any exploitation of the Sunstone Mine in my name without my supervision. Trustworthy helpers are not easy to find." "Quiet, Holloway," Thorden said, and she asked Byrne again, "Mr. Byrne, are you sure you terminated Mr. Holloway's contract before he discovered the sunstone?" "Yes, Your Honor," Bourne handed her his information board, "this is an order to terminate the contract. You will see that after this, Mr. Holloway and I signed the contract attachment to the original contract, Because his discovery brought about changes in some clauses. However, because the original contract to which the contract appendix belongs has not been reactivated, the appendix itself is naturally invalid." Thorden read the board for several minutes, looking up at Meyer. "No one reviews things like this?" she asked. "All contracts are standardized and handled by the surveyor's representative," Meyer's tone was stiff. "Legal advisors only look at the contracts marked by the representative." Soden looked at Bourne again. "You did not mark this contract," she said. "I marked the annex to the contract." After Bourne said, he took the information board and fiddled with it for a few seconds, and called up the document history. "There are only special changes in the contract appendix. There is no need to mark the standard contract, because it is all standardized." "It's just that you forgot to reactivate." Soden took back the information board, looked at it again and said. "Yes, Your Honor," said Byrne. "Is the signature on the attachment yours, Ms. Meyer," said Soden. "Yes," Mayer said. Soden put down the information board. "It's not complicated," she said. "Since there is no contract, the precedent of Burtes applies." "Mr. Holloway believed he had a contract," Meyer said. "You mean Mr. Holloway is legally liable to perform a contract that doesn't exist because he believes it exists?" Soden asked, "No, Ms. Meyer. It's the Zara Group that's running rampant on this planet." Bogey, you all want to get a preliminary trial judgment on the spot in any case. The judgment is here-I have ruled in favor of Mr. Holloway, and the formal trial has to be further scheduled. This is a civil case. If I remember correctly, you will It's already been lined up quite a bit. So I'll probably have a trial in a year's time." "We ask that you bring this case to the top of your timetable, Your Honor," Meyer said. "I would consider it," Soden said, "but not today." "This ruling will stop all mining operations on Zara 23," Brad Langdon said. "Tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs. Your preliminary ruling has already made them unemployed, but they don't know it yet." That's all." "It's up to Mr. Holloway, isn't it?" Soden said, looking at Holloway. "I have to say I'm really touched by how much Zara Group cares about ordinary employees," Holloway said. "So I'm happy to keep the mine operating, and I'm asking for half of the gross income." Langdon paled, and he repeated, "Half." "You can give me as much as you want," Holloway said. "At the same time the Zara Group is paying for all the labor and machinery?" Aubrey joined the conversation. "Ms. Meyer said," said Holloway, "that only Zara Group employees and contract surveyors are allowed to operate on this planet. Let me know when you're going to change that. Until then, it costs you .” "This way of bearing the cost is unfair." Langdon protested. "Half the income, or we won't talk about it." Holloway interrupted him, "This is my condition, either accept it or shut up." Langdon looked at Aubrey, who nodded slightly. "A deal," Langdon said. "Very well, everyone is happy," said Soden, standing up. "Now please leave, I have other things." She opened the door of her small private lounge and stepped in. Aubrey shot Bourne in the eye, who was sitting nearby. "Damn little bug," he cursed, "you'll never get a job again. I promise you that." Byrne stared back hard. "Hmph," he said, "that's what your lawyer intended, wasn't it? The only difference now is that you lost 600 billion credits for the decision that ruined my career and my life. Hope this lesson Well worth it, you pompous bastard." With that he stood up and left the room.
"Please state your name," Thorden said. "Mark Sullivan," Sullivan said, "I'm a lawyer and I just don't have a job right now." "Mr. Sullivan, did you have any guests on the day Mr. Holloway came to visit you?" Thorden asked. "Except Mr. Holloway, you mean?" said Sullivan. "Yes." Soden said. "I had two other guests that day," said Sullivan. "Three if you count Jack's dog. Besides Jack and his dog, Isabel Vanga was there that day, a mutual friend. And It was just a brief encounter between Jack and Chad Burne." "Do you know what they talked about?" Soden asked. "I don't know," Sullivan said. "They spoke in a low voice, and Jack didn't tell me after that. Then Isabel came, and we talked about other things." Soden looked at Meyer: "Any other questions?" "No, Your Honor," Meyer said. "We will still call witnesses to prove the whereabouts of Mr. Dries on the day of the murder. At present, we have only proved that Mr. Byrne had nothing to do with the incident." "I guess that's enough for him," said Soden. "Mr. Sullivan, you can leave. My clerk will take you to the Starliner terminal." "I would like to stay, if you will allow me," said Sullivan. "My flight is twelve hours away." "As you wish," Thorden said. "Mr. Holloway, please present your second piece of evidence."
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