Illegal Alien

'Object—'

'Of course I have to say it. I’m under oath, and it’s the truth.'

Dale smiled. 'Smooth, detective. Very smooth. No further questions.'

*20*

'The People call the Tosok named Stant.'

Stant rose from one of the six Tosok chairs in the seating gallery and strode through the gate into the well in front of Judge Pringle’s bench.

'You do solemnly swear or affirm,' said the clerk, 'that the testimony you may give in the cause now pending before this Court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?'

'I do.'

'State your name, please.'

'Stant. Phonetically: S-T-A-N-T.'

'Be seated.' While Stant was being sworn in, a bailiff had removed the standard chair from the witness stand and replaced it with another Tosok one. Stant made himself comfortable, the high sides of the chair nestling in the hollows beneath where his legs joined his torso.

Linda Ziegler rose. 'Stant, before we begin, I think it’s necessary to talk a bit about that oath you just swore. Do you know the difference between lying and telling the truth?'

'Of course.'

'You said ‘I do’ when the clerk said, ‘So help you God?’ '

'Yes.'

'Do Tosoks in general believe in a higher being?'

'Yes.'

'This being — he or she is held to be the creator?'

'She is the creator of the universe, yes. And of certain lifeforms.'

'And do you personally subscribe to a belief in this being?'

'Yes.'

'So when you invoke God’s aid in helping you tell the truth, you are in fact calling on a power in which you personally believe?'

'I am.'

'You understand the weight we place on telling the truth during a trial, don’t you?'

'It has been explained to me at length. I will tell the truth.'

'Thank you — and forgive me for asking those questions. Now, please, Stant, tell us what your relationship is to the defendant, Hask?'

'I am his half brother.'

Ziegler was visibly flustered. 'I— I beg your pardon?'

'I believe I have used the term correctly. We have the same mother, but different fathers.'

Ziegler glanced over at Dale. Dale was as shocked by this revelation as Ziegler was, but he kept a poker face. She then looked behind Dale to where Nobilio was sitting; he, too, had an expression of complete surprise on his face: eyebrows high, open mouth rounded into a circle. It had been a simple, pro forma opening question, and she’d doubtless anticipated the answer to be, 'I’m his shipmate' or 'he’s my coworker' or something equally obvious. She visibly tried to regain her own composure. 'Your half brother,' she repeated.

Stant’s tuft waved front to back; the Tosok equivalent of a nod. 'Yes.'

'Your Honor,' said Ziegler, 'permission to treat the witness as hostile.'

'I am not hostile,' said Stant.

Judge Pringle looked at Stant. 'By hostile, she means vehemently opposed to the prosecution’s case. Now please don’t speak again until I’ve ruled in this matter.'

'Your Honor,' said Dale, rising to his feet and spreading his giant arms, 'the defense objects. Stant has exhibited no hostility.'

'Your Honor,' said Ziegler, 'some latitude would be appropriate.'

Pringle frowned. 'Being someone’s brother doesn’t necessarily confer Hostile status. Besides, we don’t know anything about Tosok family relationships. I’m going to reserve judgment until we do.'

'Very well,' said Ziegler. She turned to Stant. 'Let’s find out a bit about them, then. Stant, how is that you come to be Hask’s half brother?'

'I have male genitalia. Otherwise, I would be his half sister.'

The jury laughed. Ziegler looked annoyed. Dale sympathized with her. She had no idea what was going to come out here, and that was a position no lawyer liked to be in. 'Are you the product of a broken home?'

'Our domicile was intact.'

'No, no. What I mean is, did your parents divorce? Why is it that the same female had children by two males?'

'My mother had children by four males, of course,' said Stant.

'Four males,' said Ziegler, blinking.

'That is correct.'

Ziegler paused, apparently trying to formulate a proper question. Finally, she looked again at Dale, as if entreating him not to object simply for the sake of objecting, and said to Stant, 'Perhaps you could explain Tosok reproduction to us… if that’s not a private matter, that is.'

'It is not private, although our custom is not to speak of the inner workings of the body, except when consulting with a priest-physician. The outer self is one’s own responsibility, but the inner self is the province of God.'

Everyone waited for Stant to go on. After a few moments Judge Pringle said, gently, 'Stant, you are required to answer the question.'

The Tosok was silent for a moment longer, then his topknot parted in a shrug. 'For one short period during her lifetime a Tosok female is able to reproduce.' He averted his eyes from the other Tosoks in the room. 'During that period each of her four wombs will be inseminated on the same day — usually by four different males, but in some deviant cases, individual males will be responsible for multiple wombs. In the usual case, though, all offspring will have the same mother, but each have a different father.'

'I see,' said Ziegler. 'Well, then—'

'Ms. Ziegler,' said Judge Pringle, interrupting from her position high up on the bench, 'there’s only one relevant point here, so let’s get to it.' The judge herself turned to face Stant. 'Stant, on Earth it’s common for people to feel extraordinary loyalty to their close relatives — so much so that they might be inclined to shelter them, even if they’ve committed an illegal act. Is this in fact the case on your world?'

Stant considered for a moment, then: 'In addition to Hask, I have two other half siblings on my mother’s side. Beyond that, my father impregnated three other females, of course, and so the products of those unions are also my half siblings. Being one’s half sibling is a common enough occurrence, and most everyone I know is related to me to some degree. For instance, Rendo' — he pointed to a Tosok with cyan-colored skin—'and I are related maternally as well, although not as directly as Hask and I. These are points of mild interest to us; they do not circumscribe our interpersonal relationships.'

'Thank you,' said Judge Pringle. 'Motion to confer hostile status denied. Please proceed with normal questioning, Ms. Ziegler.'

Ziegler nodded. 'Stant, tell us what your profession is.'

'I am a biochemist.'

Ziegler looked relieved to have this time gotten the answer she’d expected. 'And where did you receive your training in this discipline?'

Dale rose. 'Objection, Your Honor. The Court has no way to verify any of this.'

'Overruled.'

'You may answer the question, Stant.'

'I trained under Kest‹click› in Deta‹pop›darl.'

Dale rose again. 'Your Honor, this is gibberish. We object strenuously.'

'Overruled. Sit down, Mr. Rice.'

Ziegler nodded thanks at the judge. 'Let’s try it this way, Stant. How long have the Tosoks been on Earth?'

'Approximately 1.2 Earth years.'

'And did your training in biochemistry last longer than 1.2 Earth years?'

'Much longer.'

'So, it is a chronological impossibility for any human being to have more experience in Tosok biochemistry than you do?'

'That would follow, yes.'

'There are seven Tosoks on Earth, correct?'

'Correct.'

Are you more expert in Tosok biochemistry than is Hask?'

'Yes.'

'More expert in Tosok biochemistry than is Kelkad?'

'I am, yes.'

'More expert than Rendo?'

'Yes.'

'More than Torbat? Than Dodnaskak?'

'Yes. Yes.'

'More than Ged?'

'Yes.'