"Charles L. Harness-George Washington Slept Here" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harness Charles L)

7. CASE DISMISSED

The courtroom, three minutes before ten.
He felt her knee touch his under the table. He realized at once the contact was not meant to be
seductive. Sena was seeking reassurance. He reached over and patted her hand.
Then he looked up. Badging was standing by the table, looking about the area nervously. "Potts, just a
quick question about the coins." He added diffidently: "If you have a moment."
"Sure, Badging. You want to back out of the deal? No problem. Here's-- "
"No. No, nothing like that. But the coin wrappings. They look like long underwear, homespun linen, as
a matter of fact, for a rather tall man. Do you know anything about them?"
"All I can do is repeat the tradition. George rode off without his drawers. Old wives's tale, Badging.
Absolutely nothing to it."
"Yes, of course. Thank you, Potts, oh thank you, thank you." His face was glowing. He returned
slowly to his table.
Glad I can bring a bit of cheer to you, thought Potts, even if it's only temporary.
 "All rise!" intoned the bailiff. "This honorable court is now in session. Honorable Maximilian Roule
presiding. Sena versus Bridge Authority."
Roule swept in, glared around the courtroom, then sat down and glared once more, this time at
Plaintiff and her counsel. "Any rebuttal, Mr. Potts?"
"Yes, Your Honor. I'd like to show some holos."
"Of what?"
"Various bridge collapses. How they came about. What caused them."
"How is that relevant here, Mr. Potts? The conditions are not the same at all."
"The Quebec bridge is quite similar, Your Honor. Bedrock under the south cantilever was unstable.
The rock dropped one-quarter inch. The cantilever weighed twenty thousand tons, the same as the
cantilever in issue here. The center span in the Quebec bridge was nevertheless installed-- some five
thousand tons. Whereupon the whole bridge collapsed, killing a number of men."
Badging was on his feet. "Your Honor!"
"Mr. Badging?"
"Plaintiff insists that another five thousand pounds of girders on our western cantilever is enough to
overload the underlying greenstone, causing the Rock to collapse and the tower to fall. Now, Defendant
does not agree with Plaintiff's assertion of human risk. Not one whit. Nevertheless, out of the boundless
goodness of his heart, Defendant has agreed to clear men from both towers while the next load of girders
is going up on the west tower."
Roule scowled at Potts. "That will have to satisfy you, Mr. Potts. It's a very generous concession;
Defendant has no obligation to make it. I hold your proposed holos inadmissible. Anything further, Mr.
Potts?"
The visiting lawyer sagged a little. "No, Your Honor."
Roule smiled at him coldly. "Well, don't look so hang-dog. You did fine, considering there was nothing
you could do. Don't sit down just yet. Mr. Badging?"
"Yes, Your Honor?"
"Since Mr. Potts had no rebuttal, you have no surrebuttal. Now, Mr. Potts, back to you. Do you have
a closing statement?"
"Yes, Your Honor." He began slowly. "First, this court is without jurisdiction in the subject matter of
this case. Sena Rock is the territory of a foreign country, namely the Dhorans, an extra-stellar people. It
was acquired by them by treaty with the Indians, thousands of years ago. That treaty was automatically
assumed by the United States when it assumed sovereignty over the Rock. Foreign territory cannot be
taken by eminent domain, but only by war or treaty, or abrogation of a treaty. None of these things have
occurred."
"Just a minute," demurred Roule. "You're familiar with 33 U.S.C. 532?"