He did not think Jason Allison would lie to him. Insofar as he could like or trust anyone not of his own caste, he liked and trusted the Darkover-born Jason. But without lying, Jason
might evade or shade the truth to avoid hurting him or talk around what he did not know.
So when Jason had joined him there, and the first few words of formal courtesy and inquiries had
passed, he looked the young Terran straight in the eye and said:
"You've known me a long time; you know I'm no fool. Level with me, Jason; is there some sort of
feeling around the Terran Empire that telepaths are more trouble than they're worth, and that—even
though the Empire may not issue a price on our heads—that no tears would be officially shed if we were
picked off, one by one?"
Jason said, "Good God, no!" but Regis did not even hear the words. What he heard was the perfectly honest shock, denial and outrage in the young Terran scientist's mind.
Not the Terrans, then.
He probed further, just to satisfy his own conscience.
"Maybe something you hadn't heard about? Not your section. I know that Alien Anthropology has been
trying to work with some of us."
"Not the other sections, either," said Jason firmly. "Spaceport authority couldn't care less, of course. The science division—well, they're still exploring your various sciences and they realize that Darkover is
unique, a reservoir of psi talents unequaled anywhere in the galaxy so far as we know. They'd be more
likely to try to round you all up and put you in—well, not in cages, but in protective custody until they could study you to their hearts' content." He laughed.
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea," Regis said without humor. "If it goes on like this, there won't be a telepath with laran power left alive on Darkover!"
Jason's grin faded. "I heard a rumor months ago that someone had tried to assassinate you and failed," he said. "With all the duels going on, I didn't take it seriously. Was it true, then? Has there been another?"
"You don't know, then," Regis said, and told him. Gradually the color faded from the young Terran's face. "This is frightening. I can only say that nobody official among the Terrans is doing it. And who else would have reason?"
That, of course, was the question, Regis thought. He said, "The most powerful mind in the universe, the greatest psi talents on Darkover, are still vulnerable to knife, bullet or gun. I could name a dozen,
beginning with the Keeper Cleindori and running down to my cousin Marius Alton, two or three years
ago."
"And without the telepaths," Jason said slowly, "we have no key to the matrix sciences of Darkover and no hope of ever finding a key to them."
"And also without the telepaths," Regis said, "our world and our economy falls apart. Who profits by that?"
"I don't know. There are plenty of interests who would like to see your planet open to commercial export and import. But that battle's been going on for three or four generations, and the Terran Empire has
always held that a planet has the right to decide for itself in the long run. They're not even lobbying on Darkover any more. After all, there are other planets."
But Regis heard the unspoken part of that sentence, too; There are other planets , but not with a big spaceport and a sizable Terran Zone and colony. Darkover was a crossroad between the upper and lower
Galactic Arm and had a spaceport twice as big as most planets its size, five times as big as the ordinary Class B, to handle the traffic. A pivot planet—and it was getting in the way of those who hated to see
such a plum unpicked.
Just the same, Jason said, "I don't honestly think it's anyone in the Empire or the Zone, Regis; they'd go about it differently. If you have a bulldozer, you don't need a snow shovel. This is something undercover and uncommonly nasty."
"I'm inclined to agree. I'll have to see if there are any more straws in the wind," Regis said. "Picking off the telepaths wouldn't change our
might evade or shade the truth to avoid hurting him or talk around what he did not know.
So when Jason had joined him there, and the first few words of formal courtesy and inquiries had
passed, he looked the young Terran straight in the eye and said:
"You've known me a long time; you know I'm no fool. Level with me, Jason; is there some sort of
feeling around the Terran Empire that telepaths are more trouble than they're worth, and that—even
though the Empire may not issue a price on our heads—that no tears would be officially shed if we were
picked off, one by one?"
Jason said, "Good God, no!" but Regis did not even hear the words. What he heard was the perfectly honest shock, denial and outrage in the young Terran scientist's mind.
Not the Terrans, then.
He probed further, just to satisfy his own conscience.
"Maybe something you hadn't heard about? Not your section. I know that Alien Anthropology has been
trying to work with some of us."
"Not the other sections, either," said Jason firmly. "Spaceport authority couldn't care less, of course. The science division—well, they're still exploring your various sciences and they realize that Darkover is
unique, a reservoir of psi talents unequaled anywhere in the galaxy so far as we know. They'd be more
likely to try to round you all up and put you in—well, not in cages, but in protective custody until they could study you to their hearts' content." He laughed.
"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea," Regis said without humor. "If it goes on like this, there won't be a telepath with laran power left alive on Darkover!"
Jason's grin faded. "I heard a rumor months ago that someone had tried to assassinate you and failed," he said. "With all the duels going on, I didn't take it seriously. Was it true, then? Has there been another?"
"You don't know, then," Regis said, and told him. Gradually the color faded from the young Terran's face. "This is frightening. I can only say that nobody official among the Terrans is doing it. And who else would have reason?"
That, of course, was the question, Regis thought. He said, "The most powerful mind in the universe, the greatest psi talents on Darkover, are still vulnerable to knife, bullet or gun. I could name a dozen,
beginning with the Keeper Cleindori and running down to my cousin Marius Alton, two or three years
ago."
"And without the telepaths," Jason said slowly, "we have no key to the matrix sciences of Darkover and no hope of ever finding a key to them."
"And also without the telepaths," Regis said, "our world and our economy falls apart. Who profits by that?"
"I don't know. There are plenty of interests who would like to see your planet open to commercial export and import. But that battle's been going on for three or four generations, and the Terran Empire has
always held that a planet has the right to decide for itself in the long run. They're not even lobbying on Darkover any more. After all, there are other planets."
But Regis heard the unspoken part of that sentence, too; There are other planets , but not with a big spaceport and a sizable Terran Zone and colony. Darkover was a crossroad between the upper and lower
Galactic Arm and had a spaceport twice as big as most planets its size, five times as big as the ordinary Class B, to handle the traffic. A pivot planet—and it was getting in the way of those who hated to see
such a plum unpicked.
Just the same, Jason said, "I don't honestly think it's anyone in the Empire or the Zone, Regis; they'd go about it differently. If you have a bulldozer, you don't need a snow shovel. This is something undercover and uncommonly nasty."
"I'm inclined to agree. I'll have to see if there are any more straws in the wind," Regis said. "Picking off the telepaths wouldn't change our
Similar Books
Ian Mackenzie Jeffers The Grey
Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
The Sapphire Pendant
Dara Girard
Lily's Cowboys
S. E. Smith
Falling for Autumn
Heather Topham Wood
A Case of Doubtful Death
Linda Stratmann
In the Court of the Yellow King
Tim Curran, Cody Goodfellow, Gary McMahon, C.J. Henderson, William Meikle, T.E. Grau, Laurel Halbany, Christine Morgan, Edward Morris
Better to rest
Dana Stabenow
The Scent of Jasmine
Jude Deveraux
A Question of Identity
Susan Hill
Fade to Red
Willow Aster