Connection (18 page)

“When was the first time you had sex with another person. Who was it? Have you ever cheated on them?” Twlise said looking innocent and leaning forward like she was waiting for an answer.

The hostess was blushing through her makeup. “Those are inappropriate questions.”

“Exactly,” Twlise said. “It is inappropriate to doubt me because you don’t understand…that must happen a lot.” Twlise turned to the male host who was wondering what he had walked into. “I have photos of my planet and where I was born. Would those be suitable to show?”

The male host jumped at the chance. “Please show us and narrate what we’re seeing.”

“Robert took these for me before we left because I was on another planet, Xale.  Xale is a moon that orbits a gas giant. I have photos of that later. Some of the colors may seem a little off I’m told because we see in a slightly different spectrum,” Twlise said and showed a supersonic pass over a particularly interesting section of LesMa. The video zoomed and then pulled back showing several large cities and seaports. The video temporarily zoomed in on a freighter taking off and Twlise squealed and pointed. “That is LeAt’s freighter going back to Xale. Robert’s ship, Cassandra, is much faster but it is very small compared to LeAt’s freighter.”

Then the video showed going into orbit above LesMa but never showed the star because Robert didn’t want anyone to know the spectrum. The view over LesMa was so clear with little pollution – the waters looked pristine.

“How many people live on…
Les Ma…
is it?” the host asked, incredulous but enjoying the byplay.

“You said that really well,” Twlise said. “I’m a linguistic instructor on my planet and speak about twenty languages and dialects – English is my newest…oh…I didn’t answer your question. We have a population of about four billion people.”

“Are you considered very pretty on your planet?” the woman asked trying to change the subject.

“What a funny question…Robert thinks I ‘hung the moon’ but on my planet I am mediocre. I am too tall and skinny. My rear is not wide enough so I probably wouldn’t be good at bearing children. LesMa men like their women shorter and a bit stockier. You would be a top model on my planet with your golden hair and flawless skin. All the young women would be trying to look like you – you are gorgeous,” she said to the host.

“What are the differences between LesMa men and Earth men?” asked Randoph – the anchor host.

“Well. We are built differently in quite a few ways. We do not think we can have children since we are a different species for one thing. Earth men are much bigger down there,” she pointed at her crotch, “though LesMa men can make theirs do things as can the women.” She paused and smiled as her host blushed. “Your skin is fairly uniform colors though there are different colors. I understand Skip Mullins was a pretty brown color. My people have irregular patterns over all their skin – show my swimsuit photo,” she said and there were whistles and catcalls from half the audience. “See – it’s different…and we only have three fingers and a thumb on each hand…similarly on our feet. Oh…we have 24 teeth instead of 32 like you do. Our females have much more pointed fingernails.”

Lana said, “I didn’t know how many teeth we had.”

Twlise turned and responded without a pause, “I’m sure you didn’t.” Then Twlise continued. “Our internal organs and bone structure are a bit different – different numbers of ribs. We cannot digest your milk products I think but have no trouble with meats, fruits, and vegetables. Robert says we make wonderful liquor, wine, and beer.” Twlise was responding to the looks of disbelief from the hosts.

“What foods have you had here that you like?” Lana asked.

“French fries, Mexican food, ketchup, chips, buffalo chicken, and all your breakfast foods. I love your apples, oranges, peaches, strawberries, and grapes – oh – all your fruits and most of your vegetables. Your
noodles
are new to us. Almonds and cashews are
yummy
. Is that the right word? I can’t wait to explore. Hopefully you will visit us soon now that we have a trade agreement.”

“Wait…wait…did you say you have a trade agreement with Earth?”

“Yes. Robert got one signed with LesMa the same time he got Xale their independence.”

“You’ve got to tell us more,” the host said knowing this was going to boost the rating as much as it would inflame the politicians excluded from any deal. “Who authorized Mister Kobe to make this agreement?”

“I think I’ve said enough. Thank you for letting me talk on your program,” Twlise said.

“Thank you for letting us talk to you. I think it’ll be a while before we visit LesMa though since it purportedly takes over a year each way,” Randolph said remembering Robert’s absence.

“Oh. Don’t be silly. Four of us couldn’t live in that little ship for a year. It only takes a few hours. You are funny,” Twlise said as she signed off.

“HOURS! Did you hear her? She said hours. Maybe she doesn’t understand the words but four people couldn’t have been in a ship for a year. Folks – it looks more and more like an elaborate hoax,” Randolph said. “They couldn’t have traveled to another star in a few hours.”

The producer came in. “We’re going to cut that last bit of the program – its more credible that way but that young lady is very convincing. We need to try to get that Professor on and get some answers. Maybe we can get some other scientists so they can ask him leading questions. There seems to be a lot more to this story – trade agreement – Kobe helping Xale get their independence – plus the death of Skip Mullins. Did they fight over the girl? How did he die? There ought to be an inquiry and Kobe made a trade agreement for the whole Earth – who does he think he is?”

Professor LeEck and Latima went to the medical facility with a bit of reluctance. Pyburn Agency employees guarded them every step of the way. The MRI machine was a bit scary but they were smaller and cheaper now that there wasn’t a virtual monopoly on the magnetic resonant imaging. The cesium sensors didn’t need the cryogenic cooling the monstrous old ones used. They also scanned the two men fast. LesMa hadn’t progressed to metal implants so that wasn’t an issue either. The images showed a minor hernia with LeEck along with radical organ placement, fewer ribs, and no appendix. His skeleton structure was different from humans and he had new organs without discernible purpose. The doctors were amazed. Latima had several severe scars and had some surgery to internal organs he explained as being a victim of two battle wounds. His scars were barely visible and the surgeons wanted to know how long ago the injuries happened and how long it took him to recover. They were similar and obviously alien.

The news crews couldn’t get over Professor LeEck. He became an instant celebrity in all the media. Women wanted to know more about LesMa men could ‘do’ with their appendages. LeEck did all the translation for Latima. Chief Latima would not talk much about the military – especially not the size of forces or weaponry. He was an excellent soldier. The only question that peaked everyone’s interest was when the media people asked him if he had seen any ‘action’ lately. He said, “Just a few days working with Captain Kobe – we had worked together on a mission,” he said but he refused to go into any detail.

Professor LeEck explained some about his people and planet. He was asked about diversity – he didn’t know what they were talking about but acknowledged that some people discriminated against those with lower class skin patterns. He explained that LesMa scientists could not be forced to work with the military if they produced horrible weapons and other social problems. He explained that the government provided shared infrastructure and defense but little else. This got the conservatives all wound up for him ‘til he mentioned health care was free to all. Conservatives were crazed about this ‘socialism’ – LeEck was confused by the term. When asked about firearms because of something Latima said, he said you could buy them if you had money. When asked about licensing – again he was confused. You just bought what you could afford...licensing? When the media got around to policing – LeEck explained that Robert had helped resolve a long-standing problem with their colony planet of Xale. He explained that Robert had been instrumental in getting a trade agreement but he wouldn’t talk any more about it.

The media wasn’t cooling off with Twlise either. She had been offered large sums of money to pose for Vogue and Cosmopolitan – some of the oldest online e-zines. Twlise had fan clubs popping up all over the world and Robert wanted her to travel but knew the government was going to start hitting them up for travel papers and passports before you knew it. He knew the coverage was the only thing keeping them at bay.

                                                                          ****

Wadley and Frasier had worked with me in the past. Frank Wadley and James Frasier were reliable and knew I paid – that made them very reliable.

Frank started the conversation. “We have our hearing in Chancery Court scheduled for the Monday a week. It’s the fastest we could get. We have to present proof that you are who you say you are. We have your fingerprints, DNA records, and retina scans. We have gotten duplicate records from the Department of Motor Vehicles, ATF, US Department of State, and the FAA. We have all your documents. Proving you are alive should be no problem…but…”

James Frasier chimed in, “It seems someone is claiming that you purposely disappeared. They claim you faked your death to avoid mounting debts and the failure in your latest endeavor – the Cassandra.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who is this ‘they’ that claims all this bull?”

“It’s a consortium of companies that claim this because you owed them money.”

“How can you prove that you disappeared for two years plus when you were away only six weeks of your own time?” asked Frank Wadley.

“I can’t without losing two more years – don’t want to do that again right now. I might be able to prove I went somewhere else – another star if I had a witness to testify. I could get Professor Kaku at Caltech who helped me with the bias drive but everything she knows is theoretical. She would need hard proof. Vogue magazine also offered us an out with Twlise. Professor LeEck was asked to go to Sweden after he gave a seminal lecture on enlightened socialism with minimal Federalism.” I explained that he had written a paper on how such a government could work, pitfalls, and practice. It had been rushed into publication and lauded as a radical addition to political theory. I think Sweden wants him there next week. “Think we should let him,” I said. “At least we have a strategy.”

I explained what LeEck had covered because Wadley and Frasier were perplexed how an alien could help me in court. I knew that his work was modeled after the latest generation of government on LesMa – not just theoretical modeling – that was significant. It had swept academia with conservatives jumping on it as well as liberals – it seemed an ideal melding of the two. The government only stepped in, with little local regulation, on larger – multinational issues – health being an issue that crossed borders. I thought we might have a chance. I went to brief my ‘team’ and see what Pyburn & Associates had come up with. I knew the ‘I am alive’ would be a no-brainer but getting any property back would be a battle.

                                                                          ****

The courtroom was packed. Word must have leaked out about the hearing and this court had allowed cameras – it was a zoo. Chancellor Gonzales was announced and they all stood up.

Judge Jesus Gonzales spoke. “We are here today to evaluate the petition of Robert Kobe versus the State of California. Robert Kobe was declared dead one year ago, after a petition by Winstrom Inc., in this court. Mister Wadley, I think you need to call your first witness.”

“Your honor. I call Robert Kobe,” he said as Robert went to the witness stand and was sworn in.

“What is your name?” asked Wadley.

“I am Robert Nakano Kobe. I was born in Bakersfield, California.”

“Thank you sir. Do you have proof you are whom you say you are?”

“Yes. I submit my birth certificate, my pilots licenses, drivers license, homeowners permit, passport, gun dealers license, carry permit licenses, patents, and business license records,” Kobe said.

“Your honor – I submit his fingerprints, retina scans, DNA profile and supporting documentation as exhibits one through twenty-five. Does Winstrom Inc. have any objections to this?” Wadley asked. There was a pause and nothing was said.

Judge Gonzales spoke. “No further objections to this petition – I declare that Robert Nakano Kobe is alive and a US citizen with all rights and obligations.”

                                                                      ****

“So it was Winstrom Incorporated that filed the petition that I was dead. Who are they and why are they pushing this?” Robert asked Rich Pyburn.

“Yes. Winstrom represented your competition with Kobe Industries. They claim that you initiated your death as a means to escape your heavy indebtedness. When you were declared dead, they materially benefited by liquidating your company assets and buying your stock at devalued prices. One of your employees, Susan Tanksley, seems to have given information about your flight and that you had confided with her that you had thought it ‘was a good idea to disappear for awhile’. She was the main witness for Winstrom. It’s pretty complicated. Winstrom is a consortium of several big companies. Still finding cutouts on these but it looks like a lot of big stockholders from your competition. They bought up your debt and called it in the minute you went missing.”

                                                                      ****

It was thirty days before my counter suit against Winstrom could be heard even though they filed it immediately after winning the ‘I’m alive’ petition. We had another appearance in Chancery Court with Judge Gonzales.

“Today we are hearing the case of Kobe versus Winstrom, Inc. Is everyone prepared to move forward with this case?” the judge was trying not to be out of patience with these back and forth motions.

Everyone said they were ready to proceed.

Wadley and Frasier were sitting with Robert on the left and the rows behind them were packed. Twlise, LeEck, and Latima were behind his table as were numerous others. There were six lawyers representing Winstrom, Inc. The judge called for ‘the rule’ and all witnesses were required to move outside the courtroom and wait to be called.

Wadley started out by giving a summary of what had happened when Robert Kobe and Skip Mullins had left Sydney and tested their new drive. Wadley explained that the Cassandra had gone to another star system and the planets LesMa and Xale. He said that upon Mister Kobe’s return – he found that instead of being gone the two months he was in another solar system – that two years and one month had elapsed because of his faster-than light drive.

Wadley explained how Winstrom Inc. had petitioned to say Robert Kobe was dead well before seven years had passed in an unexpected disappearance. Further, he explained how Winstrom had not petitioned for Skip Mullins – known to be in the same craft. He said he would show that Winstrom Inc. acted for a group of competitors of Kobe Industries. These competitors purchased Kobe Industries stock after spreading rumors of Kobe’s death and attempted to steal plans for the ship Robert Kobe had developed. He explained that this petition was for the return of all properties. Wadley sat down.

The lead lawyer from Taylor, Wang, and Westin got up and slowly turned to Robert’s table and smiled. He cleared his throat and started his defense summary, “Your honor. We will show that Mister Kobe’s account of what happened is a fiction – made up to cover his near bankruptcy of Kobe Industries. We shall prove that Winstrom Inc. had every reason to believe that Mister Kobe had planned his disappearance. Any actions that followed were simply normal business practices in a competitive market with the best interest of Winstrom Incorporated stockholders – as their corporate charter requires. Thank you – your honor.”

“Call your first witness,” the judge said to Charles Taylor – the lead lawyer who represented Winstrom.

“We call Mister Robert Kobe. Your honor – we consider him a hostile witness.”

Robert went forward, sat down, and was sworn in.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Robert Nakano Kobe.”

“Would you explain to the court where you went after having lunch with Tom Thorton in Sydney, Australia? We know that you and Skip Mullins left Kingsford Smith International in Sydney – just go from there.”

“Skip and I went into orbit and decided we would test all the functions of our new drive system.”

“Did you obtain clearance for this flight?”

“I obtained clearance because I needed to have more hours for my orbital license. I was piloting and we cleared what was required to be cleared.”

“You told no one you were going into deep space as your lawyer implied with his story.”

Judge Gonzales spoke. “Mister Taylor. You will keep your questions and your tone civil or I will have you removed from my court. Do you understand?”

“Yes your honor,” he said and turned back to Robert. “So you then decided you would try out your new engine, is that it?”

“Yes. We tried our Hall Drive and it provided excellent performance and then decided to use our new drive,” Robert said.

“Please go on,” Taylor said.

“When we shut down the Hall Drive and turned on our new drive – our viewscreens went dark but we still felt the same acceleration as if the Hall Drive was still on. We tried everything until we realized the light frequencies were shifted and we could see stars slowly moving.”

“You saw the stars moving?” Taylor chuckled.

“Mister Tarlor. You will comport yourself properly,” admonished the judge.