“Have you ever been more than friends?” Meyer asked.

Isabel paused. “I’m not entirely sure that’s relevant,” she said.

“I’m not entirely sure it is, either,” said Soltan.

“I assure you, Your Honor, I’m going somewhere with this,” Meyer said.

Soltan pursed her lips for a second, considering. “Fine,” she said. “But get where you’re going quickly, Ms. Meyer.” Meyer turned back to Isabel. “Dr. Wangai,” she prompted.

Isabel looked at Meyer coolly. “We were in a relationship,” she said. Her words had become decidedly more clipped, as they did when she was exceptionally pissed off.

“But no longer,” Meyer said.

“No,” Isabel said. “We broke it off some time ago.”

“Any particular reason?” Meyer asked.

“We had different memories of a certain event,” Isabel said.

“Would this be a reference to a previous Zarathustra Corporation inquiry, in which you claimed Mr. Holloway had taught his dog to set off explosives, among other things, and Mr. Holloway claimed that you were lying about the account?” Meyer asked.

“Yes,” Isabel said.

“Who was lying during that inquiry, Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“The inquiry’s ruling regarding the allegations was ‘not proven,’” Isabel said.

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Meyer said. “I know what the ruling was. I’m asking for your opinion here, and for the record, your answer here will in no way have an effect on your current or future employment with ZaraCorp. So, Dr. Wangai, who was lying in that inquiry?” “It wasn’t me,” Isabel said, looking directly at Holloway.

“So, Mr. Holloway lied,” Meyer said.

Isabel looked back over at Meyer. “I believe my answer was sufficiently clear,” she said.

“Yes,” Meyer said. “Yes it was. And it’s also true that as a result of this ruling, you received a note in your employment record, correct?” “You said you were going somewhere with this,” Soltan said, interrupting Meyer.

“I’m there,” Meyer said. “Dr. Wangai is an excellent scientist who has made a major discovery with these fuzzys, as she calls them. There is no doubt either in her competence in her particular field or in the valuable service she’s done for the science of biology in recording and describing these creatures.

“But it’s also true she is not trained in xenosapience,” Meyer continued. She pointed at Holloway. “It’s true that the person from whom she learned about the creatures, Jack Holloway, is a former romantic partner with whom she had a bad breakup. It’s true that she believes that Mr. Holloway has lied about her before, in a situation where there was actual professional damage to her career. And finally it’s true that we know Mr. Holloway is at least alleged to be able to teach animals how to do relatively complex tricks.

“So: Mr. Holloway discovers these very clever little animals and decides to share the discovery with his former girlfriend. When she gets excited about them, Mr. Holloway decides to have a little fun and teaches them a few tricks which to the untrained observer look like evidence of sapience. It takes Dr. Wangai several days to get to Mr. Holloway’s home; he has time to train these creatures. She arrives and she gets gulled. Simple as that.” Soltan frowned at this. “You’re suggesting this entire thing is nothing more than Mr. Holloway’s malicious attempt to damage an ex-girlfriend’s professional reputation, Ms. Meyer.” “I don’t think you have to ascribe actual maliciousness to Mr. Holloway,” Meyer said. “Dr. Wangai calls him a friend now. It’s possible that Mr. Holloway was simply trying to have a little bit of fun with someone he knew would already be excited by the discovery of a major new species.” Soltan gazed over at Holloway; this made him uncomfortable. “It doesn’t strike me as a particularly amusing joke,” the judge said.

“Perhaps not,” Meyer said. “But it’s a better theory than professional sabotage. Or at least a nicer one.” Soltan turned to Isabel. “Dr. Wangai,” she said. “Is it possible that Mr. Holloway tricked you?” “No,” Isabel said.

“Why is that?” Soltan asked. “Because you’re too competent to be fooled or because Mr. Holloway wouldn’t do such a thing?” “Both,” Isabel said.

“It’s been established that your training isn’t in xenosapience,” Soltan said. “It’s also been established that you believe that not only has Mr. Holloway lied to you, he’s lied about you during an official inquiry.” Isabel said nothing to this, and stared again at Holloway.

“If I may,” Meyer said, after it became clear Isabel wasn’t going to answer. “The note added to Dr. Wangai’s file is of some relevance.” “Go on,” Soltan said, to Meyer.

“Dr. Wangai,” Meyer said, gently. “Do you remember what the note that was added to your employment record states?” “Yes,” Isabel said. Her voice had a note of resignation Holloway hadn’t ever heard in it before.

“What does it say, Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“It says that my judgment might be impaired due to close or romantic relationships,” Isabel said.

Meyer nodded and looked over to Soltan. “I have no other questions for this expert,” she said. Soltan nodded and told Isabel that she could step down.

Holloway found it hard to look at Isabel as she walked back to the table. Meyer’s line of questioning was nothing at all about the fuzzys and everything about her: her competence, her professional ability, her personal judgment, and her relationships with others. She had been made to look like a fool in all of them.

Isabel sat in her chair and looked straight ahead, pointedly not looking at Holloway. Sullivan reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, to comfort her. Isabel took it and held it, but didn’t look back at him. She kept staring forward, with a look on her face. Holloway knew what the look meant. It meant that Isabel, finally, understood what all the other players knew: that this inquiry didn’t really matter. The decision about the fuzzys had already been made, and these were just the motions they had to go through to get there.

Isabel knew that she had been demolished up there on the stand. Holloway knew that his role in the play was to deliver the coup de grâce.

Chapter Seventeen

When Judge Soltan called his name, Holloway got up from the defense table and installed himself at the witness stand. The judge reminded him that he would have to speak the truth. Holloway looked into the courtroom at Brad Landon, and said he would. Landon gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

Isabel followed Holloway’s gaze and saw Landon. She turned back to Holloway, her expression unreadable.

“Mr. Holloway, please state your full name and occupation,” Janice Meyer said to Holloway.

“I’m Jack Holloway, and I’ve been a contract surveyor and prospector here on Zara Twenty-three for over eight years,” he said.

“How long have you known Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“I met her briefly when she arrived on Zara Twenty-three,” Holloway said. “I made better acquaintance of her a year later, when she and I were guests at Chad Bourne’s annual holiday party for the surveyors he represents. We started a relationship several months after that, which lasted for about two years, at which point we broke up for reasons already noted today.”

“What is your current relationship with Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

Holloway looked at Isabel, whose expression now was blank. “We’re friends, but I have things to apologize for,” he said.

Meyer nodded. “Now, you discovered these creatures that you and Dr. Wangai call ‘fuzzys’ recently, is that correct?”

“About a month ago now, yes,” Holloway said. “One of them got into my cabin.”

“And Dr. Wangai has spent how much time with them during this period?” Meyer asked.

“She spent about a week studying them at my compound,” Holloway said.