Jill Boardman is a capable nurse with one passion, men.That day, she was the nurse on duty on Smith's floor.When she heard the rumor that the special patient in the advanced ward K-12 had never seen a woman in her life, she didn't believe it at all, so she decided to visit this weird patient.
She knew the "no female visitors allowed inside" rule.Although she didn't consider herself a "visitor," she bypassed the guarded main entrance.Privates have a stubborn habit of taking orders literally.She entered the monitoring room of K-12.
Dr. Thaddeus looked up. "Hi! Isn't this 'Dimple'? Hello, baby, what brings you here?"
"I'm on rounds. How is your patient?"
"You don't need to worry about him, Xiaomijiao. He is out of your control. Take a look at your care list."
"Yes. But I want to see him."
"Two words—no way."
"Come on, Sadie, don't be bureaucratic here!" Thaddeus stared at his nails, "If I let you step in that door, I will end up being sent to Antarctica. Even surveillance Room, if Dr. Nelson catches you here, I won’t be able to bear it.” Jill stood up, “Will Dr. Nelson break in at any time?”
"Unless I call him. His space low-gravity fatigue has not been completely eliminated, and he has to sleep and rest."
"Then why are you so rigid?"
"Don't talk, nurse."
"Okay, doctor!" she added, "Stinky pig!"
"Jill!"
"Prudish pig!"
Thaddeus sighed, "Didn't you blow your Saturday night date?"
She shrugged. "Perhaps. Girls can't be too picky these days." Jill returned to her post and picked up the interior master key.She had been shut down just now, but she was not completely defeated. K-12 is also connected to another ward, which serves as a rest room when the senior ward is occupied by big shots.The room was now vacant, and she slipped in.The soldiers were ignorant, completely unaware that they were being detoured.
Jill stopped before the door connecting the two wards.She felt the excitement of sneaking out of the nursing school dormitory all over again.She gently opened the door and looked inside.
The patient was lying on the bed, and he was looking at her when the door opened.Jill's first impression was that the patient was doomed, and there was no use in resuscitation.Only a terminally ill and despondent person could be so expressionless.But then, she saw those eyes, still alive and shining with curiosity.Is he facial paralysis?
She put on her professional air as a nurse. "So, how are we feeling today? Are you better?"
Smith translated these two sentences.Both the other party and himself are included in this sentence, and its meaning is very confusing.He finally decided that "we" might express a desire to care about him and to be more intimate with him.The latter sentence fits Nelson's language pattern. "Yes." he replied.
"Very good!" Except for the blank expression, she couldn't see anything wrong with the patient.I don’t know if it’s true that he’s never seen a woman in his life—even if it’s true, he conceals it well, “Can I do something for you?” She found that there was no water glass on the bedside shelf, so she asked, “ May I give you some water?" Smith noticed at first glance that this one was a bit strange compared to other earth creatures.During the journey from his hometown to here, Nelson showed him some pictures, trying to help him understand the differences between the various earth populations (he was confused).He secretly compared the person opposite with those pictures.Come to think of it, this one is "woman".
A strange sense of excitement welled up in my heart, but at the same time, Smith was a little disappointed.Smith held back his excitement and disappointment in order to gain a deeper understanding.His emotional restraint was very successful, and Dr. Thaddeus in the monitoring room next door didn't notice any changes in his appearance.
However, after translating the meaning of the last question, he was so excited that he almost lost control of his heartbeat, which was beating faster.He hurriedly suppressed it, and at the same time scolded himself severely: What an unruly nest boy.Then, he checked again, lest he misunderstood the other party.
No, he did not misunderstand.The creature named Woman offered him water, wishing to become more intimate with him.
He made great efforts to find the right words to answer in a manner consistent with the ritual of the water. "Thank you for the water, I hope you will always drink happily." Nurse Boardman was taken aback. "Oh! You are so cute!" She found a cup, filled it with water, and handed it over.
He said, "You drink."
Afraid that I will not succeed in poisoning?Jill thought to himself.But there was an air of intolerance in his words.Jill took a sip before he took it, and only a sip.After this, he seemed satisfied, and lay down again, as if he had accomplished a great event of great significance.It was frustrating, Jill thought, that an adventure should have come to this end.She said, "Well, if nothing else, I've got to get back to work."
She was walking towards the side door when he called out, "No!" and she stopped. "Ok?"
"Don't go!"
"This...well, just stay for a while, I have to go soon." She returned to him, "Do you need anything?"
He looked her up and down. "Are you a... 'woman'?"
This sentence startled Jill.She instinctively wanted to give him some serious words, but Smith's serious expression and those disturbing eyes prevented her from scolding.She discovered that the incredible rumor about the patient turned out to be true—he really didn't know what a woman was!She replied carefully: "Yes, I am a woman."
Smith was still staring at her.Jill was embarrassed.It's not surprising to be stared at by men, but now it's like being put under a microscope and scrutinized.She wriggled uncomfortably, "What? Am I not like a woman?"
"I don't know," Smith replied slowly. "What does a woman look like? What does a woman look like?"
"Oh, for God's sake!" Ever since my twelfth birthday, the conversation with a man has never been as messy as it is today, "You must ask me to take off my clothes for you to see!"
Smith struggled to figure out the phonetic symbols of the other party, trying his best to decipher them.The first group of notes is completely incomprehensible, maybe it is a kind of cliché used by this kind of people here... But the tone is very strong, like the last communication before shrinking or even disintegrating.Maybe I've made some terrible mistake in dealing with a creature like a woman that makes it intend to disintegrate?
He didn't want this woman to die like this, even if it was its right, maybe it was its responsibility.Just now, it was the intimate water ceremony, but in a blink of an eye, the water brothers who had just been obtained through the water ceremony wanted to shrink or disintegrate.If he hadn't been intentionally suppressing it, this sudden upheaval would have made him terrified and completely out of control.But he secretly made up his mind that if it died, he must die immediately—he realized that he had no other way to go, and after giving the water, he had no choice.
He had heard the group of voices behind this sentence before.He couldn't perfectly comprehend the other party's intentions, but the immediate crisis seemed to be avoidable—as long as he accepted the other party's request.Perhaps, if only the woman took its clothes off, neither of them needed to disintegrate.He smiled happily: "Please."
Jill opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "This, to hell!"
Smith realized the strong tone and knew that he had given the wrong answer.He began to gather his mind and prepare for disintegration: enjoying and cherishing everything he saw, especially this creature called woman.Just then, he felt the woman leaning over him.Somehow, he realized it wasn't going to die.It stares into his face. "Correct me if I misunderstand," it said, "but do you want me to undress?"
The word order and semantics are difficult to understand, but Smith manages to manage it anyway. "Yes." He replied, hoping that this answer would not cause any new crisis.
"I knew you said that. Brother, you're not sick."
His first focus is on the word "brother".The woman was reminding him that the two of them were bound together by the bond of water.He calls upon his nest-brothers to give him strength and help him fulfill his new brother's wish. "I'm not sick," he responded.
"Although I can't figure out what's wrong with you even if I break my head, I'm not going to get naked. Besides, I have to go." It straightened up, turned and walked towards the side door-stopped again, turned back slyly He smiled softly, "Ask me again on another occasion. You have to talk about desserts. I really want to see what I can do."
The woman is gone, and Michael relaxes, slowly shutting the room out of consciousness.A faint sense of success quietly rose in my heart.Finally, the words are decent, and now, neither of them need to disintegrate... But there are still many things that need to be further enlightened.In the woman's last words, there were some unfamiliar voices, and some voices that I had heard before, but the combination was very different, and it was difficult to understand.But he was happy to realize that the tone of that sentence was good, and the communication between the water brothers was exactly what it should be.But there's something mixed in with it that's unsettling and at the same time utterly delightful.He thought of his new water brother, this creature called a woman, that tickled him.It was a strange feeling, and reminded him of the first time he had been allowed to participate in the disintegration ceremony.He felt very happy, but he didn't know why.
Wish his brother Dr. Mahmed was here.There are so many things to be enlightened, and so few places to start.
That day, Jill was in a trance all day long, and his mind was full of the face of the visitor from Mars, and the crazy things he said.No, not "crazy"—she had done it in the mental ward, she was sure, his words were not the ravings of a madman.She decided that the word "innocent" should be used, but on second thought, it was not the right word either.His expression was indeed innocent, but those eyes were definitely not.What kind of person has such a face?
Jill had worked in a Catholic mission hospital; she had a sudden mental image of a visitor from Mars wearing a nun's hood.But this kind of imagination is really inappropriate, Smith's face is not at all feminine.
It's time to get off work.She was changing in the locker room when another nurse poked her head in. "Jill, call." She answered the phone.The image is not activated because I am getting dressed.
"Really?" a deep baritone asked.
"That's right. Is that you, Ben?"
"It's me, the embodiment of freedom of the press. Busy, little one?"
"Any suggestions?"
"My suggestion is: buy you a steak, then use a strong drink to pry your mouth open and ask you a question."
"The answer is still: 'No way'."
"No, not that question."
"Fresh, what else do you want to ask? Then ask."
"I'll talk about it later, I have to soften you first."
"Real steak? Not synthetic?"
"It's guaranteed to be true. When you poke it with a fork, it will moo."
"You must have got some kind of fat job. There is a fat account to back you up?"
"This question is irrelevant to my proposal, and rather indecent. How?"
"It moved me."
"On the roof of the medical center, see you in ten minutes."
Jill stuffed the casual clothes she had just put on into the locker, and changed into a dress that she kept in there at all times in case she needed it.The dress was demure, with only a slight translucent effect, and the bustle and breast pads were not exaggerated at all, but recreated her naked appearance.She turned around to look in satisfaction, then took the lift tube up to the roof.
Looking for Caxton, an orderly touched her on the arm. "Miss Boardman, a taxi is calling for you, the Talbot."
"Thanks, Jack." She saw the air taxi, the door open, ready to take people away.Jill gets into the car, intending to slap Caxton for his "gentlemanliness," but finds him not in the car.The taxi was adjusted to automatic control. After Jill sat down, the hatch closed automatically. The taxi lifted off, circled for a circle, and flew obliquely across the Potomac River. It stopped for a while on a tarmac in Alexander Square. After coming up, it flew forward again.Jill glanced at him sideways and said, "Oh, I'm so important! You don't need to show up, just send an automatic control car to pick you up!"
He patted her knee and said softly, "Be sensible, little one. Don't let anyone see me pick you up—"
"really!"
"—and you can't be seen with me. Don't get angry, that's all we can do."
"Well... which of the two of us has the leprosy?"
"All lepers. Jill, I'm a reporter."
"I was thinking you might be something else."
"—and you are the nurse working where the Martian visitors are hospitalized."
"So you don't have the face to take me to see your mother?"
"You need a map to point it out, don't you? There are thousands of reporters around here, as well as various news agents, anchors, commentators, and columnists. Since the 'Victor' landed, these people have been here Huddled together, each eager to interview visitors from Mars—and no one has succeeded so far. Is it wise to be found out that you and I have both left the hospital at this juncture?"
"I don't see a big deal, and I'm not from Mars."
Caxton looked her over. "Of course you're not him, but you can help me meet him—that's why I didn't dare to pick you up."
"Huh? Ben, have you been standing out in the sun without your hat on? They sent a Marine guarding him!"
"They sent, and we have to talk."
"I don't think there's much to talk about."
"Let's talk later, eat first."
"Finally said something sensible. Is that fat account of yours enough for us to go to the New Mayflower? You do have a fat account, don't you?"
Caxton frowned, and said, "Jill, it's too risky to go to a restaurant, unless you fly all the way to Louisville. It takes two hours to fly that far in a shitty cab like this. How about eating at my place?"
"'—Spider said to the bug. 'Ben, I'm tired and I don't have the strength to accompany you.'
"Again, I didn't say I wanted that. Promise to God, heart out. If you don't mean it, you'll die.
"It's not much better to have these assurances. To be safe with you? I must have missed something new. Well, let's go, and you will die."
Caxton tapped a few keys on the control panel.The taxi had just entered the "waiting" mode and was circling in circles. At this moment, it woke up and flew towards the apartment hotel where I was staying.He keyed in a phone number and asked Jill, "How long does it take to pry your mouth open with a good wine, baby? I can tell the kitchen to prepare the steak."
Jill thought for a while, "Ben, you actually have a private kitchen in that mousetrap?"
"Well, you can grill steak, I can do it."
"I'll bake. Give me the phone." Jill began to give orders, pausing only once to ask Ben if he liked lettuce as a side dish.
The air taxi dropped them off on the roof of the apartment building, and they went into his apartment.The apartment is old fashioned and the only luxury is a real lawn in the living room.Jill stopped, kicked off her shoes, and ran barefoot into the living room, wiggling her toes comfortably among the cool grass.She sighed: "My God, it's so comfortable! My feet have been hurting a lot since I was training as a nurse."
"Sit down."
"No, I want these feet to remember how comfortable the lawn is tomorrow."
"Up to you." He walked into the kitchen and started mixing drinks.
Not long after, she followed in and started doing housework.On the delivery platform are pre-ordered packages with steak and baked potatoes.Jill tossed a salad, put it in the freezer to chill, then set the roasting program on the big oven to heat up the potatoes while the steak was cooking, but the machine wouldn't start. "Ben, why doesn't this oven have a remote control panel?" she asked.
Caxton studied the machine and snapped a switch. "Jill, Jill, what would you do if I asked you to cook with an open fire?"
"I'll do great. I used to be a Girl Scout. What about you, Smarty?"
They go back to the living room.Jill sat down at Caxton's feet and they drank martinis.Opposite the chair was a 3D TV disguised as an aquarium. He flipped the switch, and all kinds of goldfish disappeared immediately, replaced by the face of the famous news presenter Augustus Greaves.
"—The source is very reliable," said the presenter. "It is to conceal these facts that the authorities put the Martian visitor under drug control. The authorities will find that the concealment of the truth is—"
Caxton turned off the TV with a snap, and said with a smile, "Old man Goff, your news is no better than mine." Ben frowned, "However, the government has anesthetized the Martian visitor, I'm afraid it's a bad idea." And let you be right."
"No, that's not the case." Jill said suddenly.
"Huh? What's the matter, little one?"
"The visitor from Mars was not anesthetized." Jill didn't want to talk much at first, but after the words were out of his mouth, he simply added, "He is under the supervision of doctors day and night, but no one asked to give him a sedative."
"Are you sure? You didn't nurse him?"
"No, uh... In fact, there is an order that women are not allowed to approach him, and some fierce soldiers are sent to ensure that the order is fully implemented."
Caxton nodded and said, "I've heard of this too. But after all, you still don't know whether it's anesthetized or not."
Jill bit her lip.In order to prove her words, she had to put herself in it. "Ben, you won't sell me, will you?"
"How to sell?"
"any method."
"Well... the coverage is not small. Okay, listen to you."
"Okay then. Pour me another glass," said Jill after Ben poured his drink. "I bet the Martian man wasn't drugged because I talked to him."
Caxton whistled, "I knew it! I knew it! I woke up this morning and I said to myself, 'Go find Jill, she's the ace in my pocket.' My boy, another drink." Drink six mugs of it. Come, take the whole jug."
"I don't want to drink in such a hurry!"
"Okay, okay, up to you. Want me to rub those poor tired little feet for you? Ma'am, you're going to be interviewing me now. How did you—"
"No, Ben! You promised! If you quote me in a story, my job is over."
"Well... 'According to a reliable source', how is it?"
"I'm still scared."
"What? Are you trying to make me panic and enjoy the steak all to myself?"
"Well, I'll tell. But you're not allowed to use this information." Ben said nothing, listening to Jill describe how he got around the guards.
Caxton interjected, "That's it! Can you do it again?"
"What? I suppose so, but I won't do it again—too dangerous."
"Well, can you help me get in there? Look, I can dress up as an electrician, with overalls, armbands, a toolbox, and a league badge. You just slip me the keys and—"
"no!"
"Huh? Listen baby, will you preach? There hasn't been a more fascinating event since Columbus coaxed him to pawn his jewels than a visitor from Mars. I only have one fear that I'll find another one." electrician."
"I have only one worry, and that's me!" interrupted Jill, "to you it's just a story; to me it's a job and a future! They'll take my nurse's hat off and my badge , put me on a train, and throw me out of town."
"Well—that's the problem."
"Of course there is this problem!"
"Ma'am, I announce that you are about to be attacked by sugar-coated bullets."
"How much? It's going to take a lot of money for me to live decently in a place like Rio de Janeiro."
"Well... you can't ask me to bid more than the Associated Press and Reuters. How about a hundred dollars?"
"What do you take me for?"
"We have already settled this problem. Now is the time to bargain. One hundred and fifty yuan?"
"Pour me another glass of wine, and help me look up the phone number of the Associated Press by the way, good boy."
"Capital 10-9000. Jill, are you willing to marry me? My bid can only go so far."
Jill was taken aback. "What did you say?"
"Will you marry me, Jill? If you marry me, I'll wait for you at the out-of-town station when you're crammed into a train, and save you from your misery. You'll come back here, back to the On my lawn—on our lawn—rest your feet and your hate. But first, you must smuggle me into that ward."
"That's true, Ben. If I called for a notary, would you repeat it in front of him?"
Caxton sighed. "Go get the notary."
Jill stood up. "Ben," she said softly, "I won't blackmail you with this." She kissed him. "Don't joke about marriage with old girls."
"I'm not kidding."
"I don't believe it. Wipe off your lipstick and I'll tell you everything I know, and then we'll figure out a way to get the best of both worlds, letting you report the news and making sure I don't get involved. Is that fair?"
"It couldn't be more fair."
She explained everything in detail. "I'm pretty sure he's not drugged, and I'm pretty sure he's not crazy or stupid, even though the way he talks is weird and the questions he's asking are ridiculous."
"If he doesn't talk queerly, he's really queer."
"what?"
"Gill, we don't know much about Mars, but one thing is indisputable: Martians are not human. Imagine being suddenly thrown into a jungle tribe who don't even know what a shoe is, and you understand their sources. Small talk from their cultural background? That's just a poor analogy; the truth is at least 40 million miles worse than that."
Jill nodded, "I guessed that too, so I didn't care too much about his weird words. I'm not stupid."
"Not at all stupid. You're very clever--for a woman."
"Would you like me to pour this martini over your head?"
"I apologize. Women are much smarter than men, and the entire structure of society shows that. Give me the glass and I'll fill it for you."
Jill accepted the other party's peace, and then said: "Ben, the order forbidding Martian visitors to see women is really stupid. He is not a sex maniac."
"They sure don't want the visitor from Mars to be shocked too much at once."
"When he saw me, he wasn't shocked. He was just...interested. It's different from how other men look at me."
"If you agree to his request and let him visit, maybe you will be entangled by him."
"Not necessarily. I guess they described men and women to him. He just wanted to see the difference."
"Long live the difference!" Ben exclaimed.
"Don't act wild!"
"Me? I am very respectful. Thank God that I was born a human, not a visitor from Mars."
"Be serious."
"It couldn't be more serious."
"Then keep quiet. He wouldn't bother me, and you didn't see his face—I did."
"What's so special?" Jill mused. "Have you ever seen an angel?"
"Only you, my angel. Nothing else."
"Well, I didn't either—but he's like an angel! A pair of old, wise eyes on a pure, serene, otherworldly face!" She shuddered.
"'Otherworldly,' that's true!" said Ben slowly. "I'd love to meet him."
"Ben, why did they lock him up? He wouldn't even hurt a fly."
Caxton put his fingertips together, "Well, it's to protect him. He grew up in the low-gravity environment of Mars, so he might be as weak as a kitten."
"But muscle weakness isn't such a big deal. Myasthenia gravis is much more troublesome, and we can't get rid of it."
"They also had to keep him from getting any disease. He was like an animal in a lab at Notre Dame, never exposed to germs."
"I know, I know—there's no antibody. But I heard in the cafeteria that Dr. Nelson, the doctor on the 'Victor', had already taken corresponding measures during the return flight of the space shuttle. Cross transfusion and so on, Mars Almost half of the blood in the guest's body has been replaced."
"Can I quote this, Jill? It's news, too!"
"Whatever you want, don't mention I said it. They've vaccinated him for everything except a cyst in the knee. And, Ben, keeping him from getting an infection doesn't mean he needs to be armed What about the soldiers?"
"Well... Jill, I've also heard some gossip, which you probably don't know. I can't use it in the report because I want to protect the source. But I'll tell you—provided it doesn't get out. "
"I won't tell."
"It's a long story. Another drink?"
"No. Let's start grilling the steak. Where's the button?"
"here."
"Then press it!"
"Me? Didn't you say cooking is yours?"
"Caxton, I'd rather lie here hungry than get up and press a button within six inches of your finger."
"Yes." He pressed the button. "Just don't forget who cooked the food. Now, let me tell you about this Valentine Michael Smith. Does he have the right to be named Smith? It's still worth it Doubtful."
"what?"
"Honey, that friend of yours is the first documented interstellar bastard!"
"Fuck you!"
"Please pay attention to your ladyship. Do you remember the matter of the 'Envoy'? Four couples, two of them are Captain Brant and Mrs. Brant, Dr. Smith and Mrs. Smith. Your angel-haired Face's friend is Mrs. Smith's son, but it was Captain Brant's."
"How do they know? Who cares about such things? It's been so many years, and it's not kind to bring out the scandal. Everyone is dead—let the dead be quiet!"
"How did they know? In the history of mankind, those eight people are probably the most detailed records and identifications. Blood type, hair and eye color, and all aspects of genetics - you know better than me. Mary Jane Lay Bill Smith is the mother of a visitor from Mars, and his father is Michael Brant. The evidence is irrefutable. Smith's genes are amazing: his father's IQ is 163, and his mother's is as high as 17. Ten, both of them are top figures in their respective fields.
"As for who cares about it," Ben went on, "a lot of people care about it; and more people will care if it goes on. Ever heard of the 'Lyle Thruster'?"
"Of course, isn't it the thruster used by the 'Victor'?"
"It's also the thruster used on every spaceship in the world today. Who invented it?"
"I don't—wait! You mean she—"
"Give this lady a cigar! It's Dr. Mary Jane Lyle Smith. She made this thruster before she left Earth, but the later research and development has not been completed. She applied for a patent for the core technology, Managed by a trust fund. Mind you, it is not a non-profit fund. The control and benefits of the patent are temporarily assigned to the Natural Science Foundation, so it ends up in the hands of the government-but its ownership belongs to you This is a friend. This is millions, even hundreds of millions of assets, so much that I can't even guess."
They bring dinner into the house.To protect the lawn, all of Ben Caxton's tables are suspended.He put down two small tables, one for himself, which hung down to the height of the chair, and one for Jill, which hung low, almost to the ground, so that she could sit on the grass and eat.
"Is the meat tender?"
"It's so tender!" Jill said vaguely with the meat stuffed in his mouth.
"Thanks. Remember, I did it."
"But, Ben," asked Jill, swallowing his mouthful of food, "since Smith was—I mean, born out of wedlock—is he still entitled to an inheritance?"
"His status is legal. Dr. Mary, Dr. Jane is from Berkeley, California, and the law in California has no concept of illegitimate children. Captain Brant is from New Zealand, and the laws there are the same. The laws of Dr. Ward Smith's hometown are more specific. , all children born during marriage, regardless of the wild family, are legal. In this way, Jill, our visitor from Mars is a legal child of three parents at the same time."
"Huh? Wait, Ben, that's impossible. I'm not a lawyer, but I—"
"Obviously you're not. Three parents sounds fantastic, but lawyers don't care. Michael's status is legal under any law - despite the fact that he's an illegitimate child - so he has the right to inherit." Another thing, his mother is rich, but the two fathers are not bad. Brant was a pilot on the moon and earned a lot of money, most of which were invested in the moon company. You know how far that company's stock has gone—there was another rights issue not long ago. Brant has a little problem with gambling—but the guy keeps winning and investing all his winnings. Ward There's a lot of family property passed down from Smith's ancestors. It's all inherited by Smith."
"Well!"
"That's not even half of it, baby. Smith is also heir to the entire Emissary expedition!"
"what?'
"At the beginning, all eight members of the expedition team signed a contract called "Explorer's Gentleman's Agreement". The eight expedition members have mutual inheritance rights, and the heirs are not limited to the members themselves, but also their offspring. The contract It was drafted very carefully, adopting the model of the 16th and 17th centuries, the provisions were extremely strict, and there were absolutely no loopholes to exploit. These people are all outstanding figures in various fields, and Brant is not the only one who holds stocks in the Moon Company. Taken together, they account for a large share of that company. Smith probably already owns a controlling stake in Huanyue, at least a considerable share."
Jill thought of the baby-like being who accepted the offer of a glass of water with such solemnity that it was touching.Jill couldn't help feeling sorry for him.Caxton went on: "Wish I had a sneak peek at the Messenger's ship log. The Victor found it, but I don't think they'll release it," Ben continued.
"Why not announce it?"
"It's a bit of an embarrassing story. My sources gave me only a little bit, and then he was sober. Dr. Ward Smith performed a Caesarean section on his wife. She died on the operating table. What happened next Says this guy knew it all: he slit Captain Brant's throat with the same scalpel—and then his own. I'm sorry, honey."
Jill shivered and said, "I'm a nurse and I'm immune to this kind of thing."
"You're lying, but that's what I like about you. I've covered police brutality for three years and I still can't get used to it."
"What happened to the others?"
"As long as the official seal on the ship's log is not loosened, we will never know. And I, a young reporter full of ideals, decided that we should know. Secrets lead to tyranny."
"Ben, he might be better off if they cheated him out of his inheritance. You know, he's so out of the world, like... out of this world."
"That sentence is absolutely correct. Besides, what does he want money for? Visitors from Mars will not go hungry. Governments of various countries, as well as thousands of universities and research institutions, would like to keep him permanently."
"For that fortune, he'd better sign off and forget about it."
"It's not that simple. You've heard of that famous lawsuit, General Atomics v. Larkin, haven't you?"
"Well, you mean the 'Larkin Judgment'? I learned it in school, like everyone else. But what does it have to do with Smith?"
"Think about that period of history. The Russians first sent the first spacecraft to the moon, but it crashed. Later, the United States, in cooperation with Canada, also sent the spacecraft to the moon and returned successfully, but it was not on it. Keep people to stand firm. Later, sponsored by the Commonwealth of the Free World, the United States and the Commonwealth of Nations set out to launch a colony spacecraft to the moon, and the Russians were also intensively preparing for the same goal. But before the launch, General Atomics took the lead , quietly took the lead in sending the first batch of immigrants to the moon from a small island leased by Ecuador. When the colony spacecraft of the Federation of the Free World and Russia arrived on the moon one after another, the people of General Atomics had already sat on the moon and were smiling smugly Look at these latecomers."
"So General Atomics, a Swiss company controlled by Americans, announced that it had acquired ownership of the moon. The Commonwealth of the Free Worlds was very helpless. It could not drive out the first one and monopolize the moon, because俄国人是不会袖手旁观的。于是高级法院裁定，公司法人，作为一个法律假定的概念，无权拥有星球，星球的所有权只能归该星球的实际居民所有。因此，月球的所有权属于现住居民，即拉金和他的伙伴们。据此裁定，他们将拉金和他的伙伴们视为一个主权国家，吸收成为自由世界联邦的成员。大多数好处当然由他们内部瓜分了，通用原子公司及其子公司——环月公司也分到了一杯羹。这个决定并没有让所有人满意，那时的联邦法院也没有现在这么大的权力，但它毕竟是各方都能勉强接受的一种妥协。此后，凡遇地外殖民星球的归属权裁决问题，都沿袭'拉金裁决'，从而避免了不少流血冲突。这一套确实行之有效——第三次世界大战的爆发并不是由太空飞行之类的争端引发的。所以'拉金裁决'成了法律，适用于史密斯。”
吉尔摇了摇头，说道：“我看不出二者之间有什么联系。”
“想想看，吉尔。按照我们的法律，史密斯就是一个独立的主权国家，而且是火星的唯一所有人。”
Notes:
Notes: