Chapter 22

Yvex led them to a wide, oval room where a tall set of desks ringed the seats set low in the center. He glanced at the Doctor, his head barely reaching the bottoms of the desks. "I'm assuming you'll be acting as a witness, Doctor?" At the Doctor's nod, Yvex led him down into the central seats. "Then this is where I'll stop talking to you. The other delegates should arrive momentarily."

The Doctor joined Rose and the crew of the Serenity on the floor, plopping himself down into a smooth grey chair. "Well, this is nice, isn't it?"

Jayne just glared at him. Book was looking around the room, seemingly intent on memorizing every part of the courtroom. Simon and Kaylee were sitting next to each other, their eyes wide—River seemed to be the only crewmember totally at ease. She sat, legs folded and back straight, watching Yvex thoughtfully. She cocked her head to the side, her hair fluttering. "He will listen." She glanced at the Doctor. "He will listen because you heard."

The Doctor shrugged, watching the other delegates file in. A tall, heavily furred delegate stepped through the door, his eyes catching on the Doctor. "Well, yes. I suppose that's true."

Mal cleared his throat a little, watching the delegates nervously. "What was it you heard?"

"Oh, some rival delegation was angry their candidate wasn't elected as the Shadow Architect, so they were poisoning Yvex's family. Most of the medics just thought they were sick, but I'd run into Plynelle poisoning before." He grimaced. "Nasty stuff. Thankfully, the antidote arrived in time."

The eleven delegates circled the room, bowing politely to Yvex before taking their seats. The furry delegate was still watching the Doctor closely, and Rose leaned closer to the Doctor. "Is it just me, or does he look a bit… Bigfoot?"

The Doctor suppressed a grin, leaning closer to her ear. "Just a bit. Then again, most Sasquatches are visiting Sysquasians."

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Sysquasians?"

"From Sysquose." He caught her look and shrugged. "Don't look at me, I didn't name the planet."

Yvex cleared his throat, stepping up to his seat at the highest desk. "The Shadow Architect now calls this quorum to order." He raised his chin and looked at the others. "We gather here today to discuss the findings of the Doctor, signatory member of the Shadow Proclamation and long time ally. Let the record show that I am unaware of the Doctor's findings, and will be witnessing them now for the first time." As the others bobbed their heads, Yvex nodded at the Doctor. "Doctor? You may proceed."

He bounced to his feet, nodding quickly at Yvex. "Thank you, your honor. Respected court, I come before you today to expose corporate corruption on a grand scale, the likes of which I've never seen before."

The Sysquasian delegate leaned forward, his dark brown eyes narrowed. "Would this be along the lines of your previous investigations, which were—and I have the list here—asymmetrical asteroids, the 'particularly smelly' swamplands of Lungren Prime, and rebelling poultry on Jeyvos 4?"

The Doctor flushed and tugged his ear. "First of all, it turned out that the asteroids were being manufactured by the Floueronions and being aimed at their rivals; second, that swampland was being poisoned by the Kylos Corporation; and lastly... why does everyone remember the poultry?" He scowled for a moment before moving on. "And now I have a few questions for the court myself. Why is it that in the heavily patrolled Helios sector, there is an entire star system completely cut off from intergalactic contact?" The Sysquasian delegate's fists tightened as the other delegates on the court began to whisper among themselves, and the Doctor continued. "Why is it that the instant intergalactic attention was paid to the Helios sector, said intergalactic investigator—and by that I mean myself—was separated from his transport and held in a manner that showed in-depth understanding of my means of investigation and escape—information that would not be accessible to the perpetrators, but only to those with a prior relationship with myself?"

Yvex cleared his throat, half of his eyes focused on the Sysquasian delegate and half on the Doctor. "Are you making any allegations, Doctor?"

"Me? No, I'd never do that. I'm just pointing out how very odd it is that the Sysquasians—who pride themselves on their thoroughness—would have no idea that a carefully-controlled scientific experiment was being run in their sector."

A slightly transparent delegate spoke up, his voice echoing like a chime. "What sort of scientific experiment?"

The Sysquasian delegate spoke up hurriedly, his eyes wide. "And where did you find evidence of this mythic experiment?"

"From the mind of a telepathic victim—but you knew that already, didn't you?"

The Sysquasian shifted uncomfortably, eying the tall, reptilian delegate next to him. "Let the record show that second-hand telepathic information is impermissible evidence."

"Oh, I know it is. Which is why I have this." The Doctor pulled out the holovid cartridge, and the Sysquasian delegate's hair bristled. A court intern with small, brilliantly-colored ridges covering its shoulders and temples approached the Doctor and offered a holovid player, and the crew of the Serenity sat back as the court watched the video. The screams were still echoing around the room when the Doctor stopped the video. "That experiment was only one of the Blue Sun Corporation's atrocities. For as long as they have existed, they have been attempting to redefine what it means to be human—and that sort of species tampering is one of the highest offenses under intergalactic law."

Yvex cleared his throat, all of his eyes now focused on the Sysquasian delegate, who had stiffened as the video played, and hadn't moved since. "Qorv? Do you have anything to add?"

Qorv turned to face him, a sneer contorting his face. "What harm was really done? So a few humans were lost. Old Mother knows there are enough others out there to replace them."

Yvex's white eyebrows drew together. "Are you admitting compliance with these violations?"

The Sysquasian snorted. "What does it matter? Your mind's made up already." He glared at the guards that entered the room. "So take me out. What I say won't matter."

Yvex sighed. "Oh, I very much think that you're wrong." He looked around at the others. "Quorum dismissed, to be reconvened at a later date to investigate the Doctor's findings. I thank you all for coming." The delegates left the room, and Yvex hopped down from his desk and rubbed his forehead. "This is a fine mess you've stuck me with, Doctor. Would you and your crew care to join me in my parlor?"

The Doctor glanced at Mal, who shrugged assent. "I think we'd be happy to."