“The cycling is very precise. It occurs once every…” He paused, pulled his pocket computer out, and tapped on the cross-shaped keypad. “Once every eleven hundred and forty Earth days.”
“And why is the skin shed? Is it to accommodate increased size?”
“Objection! Leading.”
“I’ll allow some latitude here,” said Pringle. “We’re trying to cover new territory without unduly tying up the Court’s time. Overruled.”
“Yes, that is correct,” said Stant. “Tosoks continue to grow in size throughout their lives—not by much, but enough that the tegument eventually splits and is shed.”
“Is this a voluntary or involuntary action?”
“It is normally involuntary.”
“What do you mean by ‘normally’?”
“Normally, the shedding occurs without intervention. But there is a chemical agent that can induce shedding.”
“This chemical,” said Ziegler. “How is it applied?”
“As a topical solution.”
“In other words, you mean it’s spread on the skin, right?”
“Yes. And once applied to the skin, it causes a slight shrinking of the hide—which has the same effect as the body beneath the hide having grown slightly: it causes the hide to split.”
“Is the Tosok hide in fact composed of scales?”
“Yes, although our scales simply abut one another; they do not overlap as do the scales of your fish or reptiles.”
“Do scales sometimes come loose during this process?”
“Yes, but they also come loose in advance of normal shedding.”
“This chemical substance you’ve referred to—is it common?”
“On Earth? I doubt it exists at all.”
“But would it be among your ship’s store of chemicals?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“In case of severe burns, for instance, the appropriate treatment is to force the damaged skin to shed prematurely.”
“What is normally done with a shed skin?”
“It is disposed of.”
“In any special way?”
“No. It is just thrown out.”
“Thank you, Stant. Now, on another topic, do Tosoks have a circulatory system?”
“Yes.”
“Would you describe it, please?”
Stant swiveled his front eyes to look at Judge Pringle. “Talking about the outer covering of the body is one thing, but interior workings really are something we do not discuss in public, Your Honor.”
“I appreciate that,” said the judge. “But we do need this information.”
Stant was quiet for a moment. “I— perhaps my embarrassment would be lessened if no other Tosoks were present.”
“Our laws require the defendant to be present throughout these proceedings,” said Pringle, “but if you like, I will ask the other Tosoks to leave.”
Dale swung around to look at the six aliens sitting near the bailiffs desk.
“We would be more comfortable to leave as well,” said Kelkad.
“Very well,” said Pringle.
The Tosoks rose from their special chairs. Their long strides carried them quickly across the room. Dale could see that five of their tufts were moving in ways he associated with relief. Ged’s wasn’t moving at all, though—but then, Ged might just be the Tosok equivalent of a dirty old man.
Once the courtroom door had closed behind the last Tosok, Dale and everyone else turned their attention back to Stant.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” said the witness.
“Now,” said Ziegler, “I’d asked you about the Tosok circulatory system.”
“Yes,” said Stant. He paused for a moment, as if working up the nerve to discuss the matter, then: “We have four hearts, located here, here, here, and here.” He pointed to four points spaced evenly around the bottom of his torso. “We also have four lungs, each of which is semicircular in cross section, located directly above each heart. The hearts pump blood oxygenated by the lungs throughout the body.”
“Except for the number and placement of organs involved, this is substantially the same as what happens within a human body, correct?”
“So I would assume.”
“You mentioned blood. What are the constituents of Tosok blood?”
“It consists of a plasma—the chemical composition of which resembles the seawater of our world. In this plasma float various specialized structures, including oxygen conveyors, tools for repairing damage and fighting infection, and free-floating nerve components.”
Dale could hear Frank Nobilio mutter “Fascinating” behind him.
“Free-floating nerve components?” repeated Ziegler.
“Yes. We each have a kivart—an organ that produces these. The floaters are crucial to our muscular control.”
“What happens to your blood when exposed to air?” asked Ziegler.
“It crystallizes, forming a protective covering over the wound.”
“And what color are these crystals?”
“Pink.”
“I show you People’s exhibit forty-two, which is the sample of pink crystals taken from Dr. Calhoun’s breastbone. And, Your Honor, I’d like to enter People’s sixty-three—the UCLA Department of Chemistry analysis on these crystals.”
“Mr. Rice?”
“All right.”
“So entered.”
“Now, Stant, looking at these crystals, and the analysis of their chemical makeup, do you have an opinion about what substance they are?”
“It is blood—Tosok blood.”
“Blood from one of you seven?”
“I cannot say that from the evidence presented here. It could be blood from a Tosok, or conceivably from an animal from our world.”
“But it is blood from a Tosok, or a related life form?”
“Certainly.”
“You mentioned the specialized structures in Tosok blood, Stant. Are they cells?”
“Many are, yes.”
“And do Tosok cells contain within them the genetic blueprint of the individual?”
“They do.”
“Is this blueprint encoded by deoxyribonucleic acid?”
“No.”
“Is the encoding chemical similar to DNA?”
“I really do not know anything about DNA, although early on, before they understood our discomfort in discussing interior workings, Dr. Smathers and Dr. Nobilio did mention it to me. Our genetic molecule encodes in binary, indicated by the presence or absence of methyl groups.”
“Without delving further at this stage into the precise details of the encoding method, is it fair to say there is a wide range of information that can be encoded?”
“Yes.”
“So, since Tosok blood contains cells, and these cells contain widely varying genetic information, is it possible to identify the individual from whom a sample of Tosok blood was taken?”
Stant looked at the judge, looked at Dale, then looked back at Ziegler.
There was a large analog clock on the back wall of the courtroom; it whirred loudly as its minute hand advanced one position. “I wish to assert my Fifth Amendment privilege,” Stant said at last.
There were gasps from the audience. “I— I beg your pardon?” said Ziegler.
“I believe I have phrased the statement correctly. I assert my Fifth Amendment privilege.”
Dale Rice and Michiko Katayama were consulting at the defense table.
Frank leaned in from the row behind them. Journalists were furiously making notes.
“Which part of the Fifth Amendment are you referring to?” asked Ziegler.
“ ‘No person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.’ ”
“How does that possibly apply here?” asked Ziegler.
Dale rose. “Objection, Your Honor! The witness has asserted the privilege.”
“Counsel, approach,” said Pringle.
Dale, Ziegler, and their second chairs came to sidebar. “What’s going on, Ms. Ziegler?” asked Pringle impatiently.