License to Steal

An interstellar legal satire follows an alien from a culture where theft is lawful who misunderstands a local colloquialism, obtains a mock license from a police sergeant, and steals a large Chicago building. A Galactic Tribunal overturns criminal charges on grounds of public-official misrepresentation and entrapment while imposing civil liability. Efforts to recover the property and its occupants fail when the structure is sold and ritually destroyed by an Aldebaranian government and the people are sold to a Boötean society where their treatment renders most unwilling to return. The narrative examines cultural misunderstandings, statutory loopholes, and the absurdities of transplanetary law.