Voices of Chaos (44 page)

"I am Khezahn, thirtieth in my line to rule all Arekkhi. To the CLS, my greetings and my thanks."
Khyriz taught him by rote,
she decided, then shoved the thought aside as the Emperor went on in Arekkhi. He was succinct, blunt, and did not excuse himself or his line. "I knew nothing of Asha until I took my father's place at his early death. Since that day, I have worked to change the balance of the Inner Council, in hopes that before my death, Asha and Arekkhi would be one people. Now that the greatest enemies to that peace are removed from power, it is possible this union will occur sooner than could have been hoped.

"We know the CLS rules; we know we can be banned from membership for having made a secret of Asha. I ask, personally, and for my world, that the CLS not banish us entirely. That we be given one final chance to repair what is wrong here. This contact with outside worlds is a wondrous and valuable thing, and of great benefit to our people. All of our people."

The tank dimmed, but to her surprise, brightened again. Khyriz stood where his father had, slender in a dark blue jumpsuit. "I beg permission to speak before the Council, as a former StarBridge student, and as leader of the group that for two years has sought Asha and removed them from the reach of such as the
once-zhez,
Zhenu. As of the hour of this transmission, I can personally assure the Council that Zhenu is imprisoned for crimes against Asha, the abduction of the CLS team, and the murder of a noble Arekkhi. I have, and can submit to the CLS, proof that Zhenu was behind the recent killings and the attempt to incite an Arekkhi civil war. I also hope to soon obtain proof that Zhenu poisoned the previous Emperor to gain control, with the Prelate, over a young and untrained Emperor.

"I have proof that the Prelatry was involved in creating the 304

drugs that have controlled and subjugated Asha for a hundred years.

Translator Magdalena Perez has samples of both drugs. I humbly request they be analyzed so that their effects can be reversed.

"My brother, Heir Khelyu, leads the Emperor's troops against the remnants of the opposition created by Prelate and
once-zhez,
and I am assured by him that Arekkhi space will be secured within a nine-day. Two at the most.

"I ask that the CLS not accept the words of the
once-zhez,
nor look upon his

'pets' as being what they seem. Do not, I implore you, close your minds to the Asha named An-Lieye. Think, I beg of you, what might become of any of us if we unwittingly drank something containing a mind-smothering poison.

"Lastly, I ask that you contact Dr. Robert Gable at Star-Bridge Academy. You know him; he is well respected. Ask that he lay all these recent events before the student Shiksara, who comes from a merchant family in a town where Asha live. Shiksara has been at StarBridge four years and has had no outside communication at all in the past year. She and I have not spoken in two years; this can be proven. Ask that Dr. Rob say to her, 'The threat against your family is gone-- the Prelate's house in Vehyon is empty, and your parents are safe.' Then listen to what she can tell you about Asha." He bowed gracefully, and the tank dimmed.

Magdalena blinked rapidly to fight tears.
That bow was for me,
she knew--it was Nureyev's bow as Romeo, to Juliet/ Fonteyn on the balcony above him.

Mahree eyed her curiously, but her attention shifted as a small, black-haired woman strode across the open floor.

She fetched up in front of Magdalena, held out a hand, and said in clipped Mizari, "You won't remember me. Stephanie Kim."

"Of course I do," Magdalena said. "But I'd know you anyway, Dr. Kim. Alexis has that picture of you both--''

The Chinese woman shook her head; her eyes were wide and dark. "Make it Stephanie. The woman will be the death of me. How is she?"

"She sprained that weak ankle ankle again, then hit her head 305

when she fell. But I heard from Khyriz just before we docked; he said she'd come to--"

"Oh, God," the physician whispered reverently. "She's been out all this time?"

"It--she hit hard, I'm sorry, Stephanie. But Khyriz's physician--Unya--is taking care of her."

"Know her--indirectly," the other replied gruffly, her voice rough with emotion.

"Your fancy Prince asked me to send her training tapes."

"She watched them, I could tell. I'm sorry ... I didn't mean to scare you. You look so tired!"

"Just got in from Trinity," Stephanie mumbled. "Not your fault. I just--Alexis--

oh, hell. Let's get this mess cleared up, shall we? So I can get transferred to go take care of her." The other two examiners were introduced--a blue-black, gangly human male Magdalena vaguely remembered from her first year at the Academy, and a Shadgui. The doctor turned to An-Lieye, then, and in heavily accented Arekkhi, introduced herself.

Poor An-Lieye,
Magdalena thought. Condemned to live as a nonsentient--

and now doubted here? But the Shadgui spoke almost at once, via its voder.

"The female from the Arekkhi world has a complex pattern of thought, logic, vocabulary, and is certainly a full sentient."

The young man--she now remembered him, Prince Palmer, from Sierre Leone--agreed, his Mizari flawless except for the slightly musical accent that had also marked his English, a lovely blend of Sorbonne French and Swahili. "If the doubters continue to doubt," he added, "ask that she
write
her responses; I see the pad and stylo in her sleeve. Greetings, An-Lieye! My many-times ancestors were also slaves, in our world." An-Lieye eyed him in astonishment, then came forward to lay the backs of her hands against his.

He smiled and returned the gesture.

Dr. Kim was silent. As one, the Shadgui, the Secretary-General, and the other telepaths turned to look at her. Mahree finally cleared her throat loudly and said, "Well?"

"Ah? Oh!" The doctor shook herself. "Well...
of course
she's sentient. She's also ... pregnant."

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Pregnant--pregnant?
Magdalena's vision blurred. "Oh,
gods,"
she murmured in reverent Arekkhi. "An-Lieye, you and Zhik! Did you--?" She couldn't say anything else; the Asha's ears quivered and her whiskers curved forward so far they nearly touched. The translator's mind bridged the gap almost as quickly. "You did! Mahree--Most Esteemed Fys--I think we have our final proof! An-Lieye's unborn, DNA evidence! If An-Lieye is what the Prelate claims, then surely she could never create life with an Arekkhi, could she?

But An-Lieye conceived her unborn child with Zhikna--only son of Zhenu."

Mahree frowned, and switched to Mizari. "But Magdalena, you said he was..." Her eyes flicked toward An-Lieye. "There wouldn't be any proof left, would there?"

"We have the proof right here." Magdalena gestured, tugging at a fold of the ruined blue robe the Asha clutched to her breast. "The bloodstains are Zhikna's, from injuries he sustained while rescuing Alexis and me. I swear to that, here and now. But a test will prove it."

The rest of the session was mercifully short; An-Lieye was given full rights on-station as a sentient, and apologies for any distress the doubt had caused her. She was gracious but remote; her eyes shone, and to

Magdalena's surprise, she permitted Dr. Kim to snip one of the bloodstains from the ruined blue, then produced a tuft of hair from the pocket of Dana's oversized shirt. *His* she mouthed. *From the--wound on his back.*

"The DNA tests will show they match," Stephanie Kim assured her as she withdrew a single hair, then turned to Fys. "Most Esteemed Fys, I have heard enough to be assured of my safety within the Arekkhi system. I request permission to leave now; Interrelator Alexis OrtoVsky has been gravely injured and needs my skills to be certain she returns to full health."

Mahree laughed, to Magdalena's surprise. "She'll find a way to get there, anyway, Fys!" The Chinese woman grinned, but was gone the moment the Drnian gave assent. Fys went over to converse with the two Mizari.

Magdalena sat, and

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forced herself not to slump from fatigue and relief. Mahree patted her hand.

"Almost done, dear. Alexis will be proud of you."

"Thanks--at least, I hope so," she added. But moments later, the Secretary-General came back.

"The full Council will need to meet to decide the fate of the Arekkhi system; it will surely consider the lies told the CLS from the very first--but it will also consider the present situation. When a decision is reached, Ambassador-at-Large Mahree Burroughs will be informed at once, as will Translator Magdalena Perez and the sentient An-Lieye." She gestured a polite farewell, turned, and left, the Mizari slithering in her wake. Magdalena closed her eyes in exhaustion, only opening them again when the floor began to move downward.

It took three days, but Magdalena was so busy, they passed very quickly.

The human liaison had her fitted for two changes of clothes and shoes.

Magdalena insisted on a new set of jeans and T-shirt. Messages poured in from StarBridge, including an FTL call from Rob, who was smiling warmly as she keyed it.

"I heard from Mahree how well you did."

"Just what I had to, Rob," she protested.

"Oh? And what about the story Khyriz got from An-Lieye, you trying to keep the Iron Duke-him from killing her--and his own son?"

"That wasn't--I got mad."

"You had every right. Just like you have every right to give it up and come back here. If you want."

She laughed, and his trick eyebrow went up. "Rob Gable! I'm not about to go anywhere but back to the Arekkhi, as soon as they let me! Alexis needs me, and I have translation classes to start up again; with the Prelate out of commission, I can probably get access to the unaltered, dead-language histories, maybe even translate some of them. With luck, I can find the book Khyriz left for me in the old palace library that someone stole when I wasn't looking! And there are five very talented 'Fringe-of-Dancer' performers who will be very disappointed if I don't give them a tour of the CLS apartments.

And
teach them some ballet!"

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"Sounds like a busy schedule to me," he agreed. "I was just checking, not ordering, you know. I knew you'd be good with the Arekkhi."

"Most
of the ones I've met," she retorted dryly.

"Oh... wait, you've reminded me of something." He waited; she snapped her fingers. "Got it. The dance troupe with the enclosed stage, the ones with variable grav? Can you find a way for me to get in touch with them--um, not for now, in case they want to know? But maybe for a couple of years or so from now?"

"Riddles?" he asked, but she smiled and shook her head. "All right, be a sphinx. I have a message for you from Shiksara. I tried to get her to come deliver it personally, but she's upset. She said, 'Tell Magdalena I am sorry I kept the secret from her, but the
zhez
and the Prelate both threatened not just my family, but also all my hometown with Jhrror fever. A death sentence for not just Asha, not just my father and mother and sibs, but also everyone I ever knew. I was weak, Magdalena.' "

The translator bristled. "She wasn't, Rob! You know that!"

"I know; we'll convince her eventually. She's got a genuine talent for language, though: Blanket thinks she'll be good with the Simiu; we'll have to see. Oh ... I just heard from Khyriz-- by the time Dana gets you back to Arekkhi space, it'll be safe." He looked away from her. "And I think from the transmission I just got from Mahree that the CLS is fixing to send you out."

Alexis was getting bored with just drifting. At first it had been pleasant, restful.
When did I last sleep so long?
She couldn't remember. There had been pain at first: Sharp pain in her bad ankle and her head throbbed. That faded, eventually, though it hovered behind her half-conscious thoughts, threatening to return.

There had been fear--terror, really; she couldn't remember why that was, either. Not at first.

She became gradually aware of her surroundings: warm, clean bedding and soft, reassuring voices that spoke soothing

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Arekkhi. Arekkhi hands touching her, holding her, helping her to swallow soft foods and liquids.

She had no real sense of how much time had passed, only a few hard-edged images of the Grand Ball, a confusing montage of black-clad and masked, armed Arekkhi, of the deadly stunner held at her eyes, ready to fire.

Of running with the high whine of weapons assaulting her ears ...

She woke with a start from one such nightmare and lay very still, eyes still closed. Her head no longer throbbed; she cautiously moved it and nothing hurt.
Where am I?
When she opened her eyes a crack, light hurt and she closed them quickly, letting her other senses work for her.

I'm back in the Old Palace!
It couldn't be anywhere else: Her fingers knew the rough spot in the wooden bed-frame, and she could smell the familiar blend of her favorite lilac-like scent and the citrusy vines out on the balcony.

"Anyone home in there?" A low, warm voice spoke close to her ear--in English. Alexis frowned faintly. It didn't sound like Magdalena--but who else would speak such good English? "Easy now, I'm going to help you move so you can drink this. You just relax, I'll do all the work..."

She knew that voice, suddenly, though she'd never heard that particular tone directed to her: The soothing patter of a doctor or nurse talking to a patient.

Doctor--English-- woman's voice?

"Here, I've got your head. Just relax, let me get a pillow behind you."

Alexis let the back of her head rest against a strong, capable, familiar hand.

"Steph?" she whispered. "Steph, is that you?" She opened her eyes, blinked furiously. Dr. Stephanie Kim, her black hair pulled severely away from a dark oval face, gazed at her, her eyes worried indeed.

"You recognize me?"

Alexis managed a weak smile. "Every time. What're you doing here, though?"

Stephanie gently brushed a strand of hair from Alexis's face and stroked her cheek. "Came to take care of you, of course. Heard you knocked that hard head of yours into something even harder." Her voice was shaky. "How do you feel?"