darknadir (70 page)

EPILOGUE

IN his cabin on the shuttle, Chy'qui heard a noise outside the door. As it slid open, he heard his steward exchanging pleasantries with the guard outside.
"You're late," he snapped, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind his bed as the male entered carrying a tray of food. "It's bad enough that I've been locked in here for the last four hours without the food being delayed, too."
"All in good time, Doctor," said the steward, walking toward the desk and putting the tray down. "Too much haste causes situations such as you find yourself in now. Your job was to procure samples from the telepaths, nothing more. Your experiments on the Sholan have put not only those, but all of us at risk." He turned round to face Chy'qui. "As for your ambitious personal attempt on Prince Zsurtul, what can I say? The Directorate is most displeased."
Chy'qui frowned. "The samples as you call them, will enable the Directorate to breed these new hybrid telepaths. How else could they have been obtained? Perhaps it was naive of me to think I could keep the adult male, but the data I obtained from him is as unique as they are."
"Granted, but you took unauthorized risks, Chy'qui. Time is still on our side. Once we've brought them to maturation, we will have years to study and experiment with these hybrids in the security and privacy of the City. There was no need to risk everything by putting an implant in the male and keeping him separate from his partners. And allowing the priest to question him was sheer folly."
"I had to find out if I'd managed to suppress his telepathic ability and isolate him totally from the other two. For that I needed J'koshuk. You know that the telepath Leska pairs have a physical transference of injuries and symptoms between them. How else could I test my work? As for the plot against Zsurtul, that was none of my doing, as I've already said. It was Doctor Zayshul. Her resentment of me is well known."
"That's why she's at the treaty table and you're in here?" The tone was rich with sarcasm.
"My staff will back me up," said Chy'qui. "If the Directorate think I'm going to resign, they're mistaken."
"Oh, the Directorate don't want you to resign," said the steward softly, reaching into the top pocket of his white coveralls. "They expect you to terminate yourself before the commander calls on the Sholan telepaths to probe your mind for evidence of your assassination attempt on the Prince. You know too much about us, Chy'qui. You're a security risk."
Chy'qui laughed nervously. "Q'ozoi wouldn't authorize that! It would be their word against mine."
"He's already taken their word against yours. That's why you're here." The steward held out his hand, opening it to display the three gel capsules lying in his palm. "Quick-acting and painless."
"You're joking!" Chy'qui said, getting up from the bed to stand as far away from the steward as possible. "I've no intention of taking them. I can prove my innocence easily!"
"You have until I return for the tray to take them." He put the capsules down on the bed. "If you have not..." He shrugged.
"But the work I've done for the Directorate! You said yourself that the specimens were valuable! That surely counts for something!" blustered Chy'qui.
"You're quite right. I forgot to thank you. How remiss of me." He turned away toward the door but Chy'qui lunged forward to grab him by the arm.
"You can intercede for me! Tell them I'm innocent of the charges and can prove it!"
The steward brushed Chy'qui's hands away. "I think not. You've caused us to be responsible for the deaths of two of the crew already. Making sure the blame for that lies at your door wasn't easy. We haven't the stomach for taking any more innocent lives. We're trying to protect our species."
Chy'qui felt a sudden sharp prick on his hand. Surprised, he stood looking at it as his sight began to blur.
"You've become an embarrassment to us, Chy'qui," he heard the steward say, as if from a great distance. "And don't bother with the pills, they won't be necessary now."