Delight in this crowd tingled on my skin. I giggled. So did he. Of all the peoples of the Seven, Zheien are my favorite.
The old Emperor hugged Pas before he could bow. Oh, healers ne need to know protocols for me. Call me 'Ao and be my friend.
Ea eae! He took Ry’nao’s hand and we walked. Ryee gave me his arm.
His father and mother walked with us. Bae, why are you here? Who is this maiden with you?
Fa, here is Madame Adia Rayaline, Scientist of Areon. I told you of her work in the journals, and we work together now in her lab.
His parents bowed to Ry’nao, but he took their arms and raised them. I am here as anyone seeking Peri’s wisdom, ne as your emperor, today. Areon forbids his citizens from knowing about religion, but this maiden needed answers, and you heard his blessing. Ryee gave three others my Link and they are my operatives now.
Their delight came to me. O, you are a brave one, to join our work! His mother took my hand.
I am not brave—I sobbed. Just walking beside Ry’nao, I feared to embarrass Areon! She rubbed the back of my head, and I felt stronger. I thought about that memory Ryee shared with me.
Eanne~ held Pa’isha’s hand. I felt their love. Also their sorrows. Twelve children, and they have three living.
But, I saw them with all their children, alive! Pa’isha gasped! These sands were lavender, not the deep purple of today, with flowers growing in them. And, their huge family danced in a festival. Both watched, fascinated, and they knew all the faces. W~Via, Eanne~’s father, had red hair the same shade as mine.
He stroked the length of it on my shoulders, tears in his golden eyes like Ryee’s. I wiped tearpowder from his face and from Ryee’s, then mine, which also had tearpowder. Mixed them and made sure he saw, Ryee’s mother, and Ryee. All felt stronger, as we walked.
If Pas was wrinkled, bald and old, Peri was ancient! His long, white curls reached below his shoulders. He sat with us, this time in front of a beautiful redviolet building. Pas bathed his feet in the purple sand. Ryee smiled at me. Here is my home. I touched the warm side of it and it gave. Eaezhfee, like that platter? When I let go, it bounced back, flat. Rainbows spread in a circle for a couple of secs.
Pas set me on his lap and wept. Bathed my arms in the purple sands. I hugged him.
Ry’nao put a hand on my shoulder. Ryee, I shall trade for yllis. It is a very rare herb that brings a painless regen. If you have it with you, you can give it.
You must also trade for live plants. Mirado has a lot of it. He also has vek ea plants, if you can please him. If you send these plants to Fhiah, they can grow enough to start crops on many worlds, including Earth. I felt badly to be giving directions to the most powerful man in the Thirteen, but he smiled.
Earth, again? But I saw it. They did also. Green grass, flowers of all kinds, small ones. Trees of all sizes. Green. Some had flowers. Our trees all died, and children visit the site on their 12th birthday. Cats. Dogs. Horses. Elephants. Octopuses. Whales. Blue skies with clouds.
The atmosphere has four fifths nitrogen! Ryee, can Be~saech write a prog with a Tyndall field, to screen nitrogen from air? And, high radiation? He and his parents shuddered. They had never been that far inside the First, but to the Outer Siva where Thorde, Vasye and Alb Seer were. His father and mother suffered from poisoning on Thorde. I sobbed.
But such a prog could also screen excess water from air, which would help them in future visits. No Thordes ever harmed a Zheien, but their world is filled with dangers for many species. Pas tightened his arms around me and hummed. His brother held Ryee.
Ry’nao, if we create new fuels, can work on the Nefcot Ring commence? Before negotiations with Earth for Alliance and Unified membership? Then Earth will be safer for Zheien. I shuddered. Felt that sweat drip from me. Pas gasped and brought his ennead!
Where, exactly, is this Earth?
I showed a map of the First. He felt shock on seeing the location, well within one of the spiral arms. And, Zheien will go there? Then I realized what he meant.
Yeff are one of seven hundredthousand Zheien colonies, all from Zhea~, a world in the Sixth. Ye~ Prov of Zhea~, a colony of 2,000, decided to move to the Seventh to advance trade with Elshar worlds here. Elshar Mashai is the seat of the Alliance government.
The First is the only spiral galaxy in the Thirteen! It has the least number of Zheien colonies because of the radiation there. Spaces between the arms have fewer stars and therefore, fewer worlds to colonize.
I saw a tapestry on a wall. A white house, but not like houses in Kleideu. Flowers to my knee or lower grew by steps.
A woman with long red hair in a purple dress held out a white cube. Across from her, a man with whitish gray skin held out a red cube. He wore a red, metallic suit. I shuddered, and it hurt! The man who hurt Ryee in D’gharr! Eriganh!
Ry’nao gasped. This place is on Earth?
Yes. I am sure. My mind showed him the exact place. The house of Laura Sherri Martin and her family, on Elizabeth Street, in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States of America, Earth, Sol, Orion Arm, First Galaxy.
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She is a healer and will help Ryee survive it. Ryee? Both of us gasped! We have to go there, together! If you send us soon, Eriganh will follow, and Areon is saved! D’gharr will not fall!
Pas hummed. Maiden, you must sleep now. Ne think of these things but briefly. Remember. Your body can ne withstand this.
Ryee’s fear for me rumbled on us. Can you ne help her, Pas? With your ennead, can you heal her?
I try. Their voices rose. Ryee’s father took my arm and led me on a walk around Oshfah, this beautiful city. Ryee and his mother walked with us. I felt calm.
I gasped. My cot fell over! Vonn and Derees tipped theirs but scrambled up.
Ryee had me in his arms. Bae, you must ne do this! Ry’nao can ne come. He let go. Put me on my feet.
Derees grabbed my shoulders. Warmth calmed me.
Tanda sat up and stared at us. What is wrong?
Ossy rubbed an eye. “Do you have to wake us all up with your nightmares?”
“She ought to be sent to Eicken Hospital! Only insane people have those.” Citsa turned over and pulled her sheet up. Too far. The cot tipped onto its side.
Others laughed as she righted it and laid down again. Ossy went back to sleep.
I sobbed and Derees held me. Let us go work, yes?
I nodded. Ryee waved for repairs on my tortured cot. The sight of him, lying injured on his green ship, that nightmare—the eleventh day of our marriage. Why couldn’t I dream of our marriage? Surely that was a happy event! I shook so, Derees and Vonn kept my arms all the way to my station.
Our third day, research went well until I ran out of material. My display blinked a warning. “Vonn, my terminal will not release amiritkaln—”
Citsa rushed over. “I need that amiritkaln. It is in the mixing chamber—”
Vonn waved it all out. “You may not take any unless I approve—”
“Your monster killed my father! Security! I need Otherworlder Authorities!”
Nothing happened. Again, she demanded.
Ryee stood. Bowed to her. “Miss Wilnes, I am sorry about your father, but I did ne to him.”
“You Zheien have strong telepathy! I will prove that you hurt him with it! You convicted him!” She slashed across her front and her lab coat sprayed buttons.
My friend waved to repair it. “Show me your proof. I bring a TS Inspector.”
She paled and leaned on the counter. “I don’t have it with me—”
By her, a life size holo of a man with blue eyes that turned black. “Ryonne~, I am a busy man. What is the problem?”
“Here is Citsa Wilnes. She accuses me in the death of her father.”
The man laughed and pulled at the front of his cobalt blue robes. “I am Limar Nir, TS Inspector for Areon. You mean Per Wilnes? He is in Eicken Hospital. Citsa Wilnes, you have trouble. Are you eager to face Ih Esta?” Those robes had much golden trim. Most traders with the cobalt blue robes did not have any. His cold, black-eyed stare would have frozen our ocean.
“What is that?” She trembled.
The Elshar laughed, but his eyes stayed black. “Did you learn in Traders’ class in your school what happens to bad traders? I have three reports now of your dishonesty. If you had TS Status as does this man, you would see Och Pauchu today.
Images of people scraping rock out of red walls with their bare hands came. A child dropped dead and his mother, after him. Slaves threw their bodies on a pile nearby. Men, the vast majority of these slaves. The highest producers took terrified women behind rocks. We all shuddered!
“I sent people there who had less marks on their record than you. Do not bother me again.” His holo vanished.
Ryee leapt over the counter and pulled Citsa to a chair. Gave her a breather.
She held it to her throat and gasped at it. Glared at Ryee. “You knew—”
“I did ne wish to cause you unwell, but you see that I ne harmed your fa. He saw all of my memories since I visited Areon three days past. Did you also see?
“He found ne to suggest that I harmed Per Wilnes. One of the reports he has from an eyewitness saw you escort him to Eicken Hospital. Did Vonn know you left here?”
Her face grew very red.
Vonn stood in front of her and waved us away. Then a privacy screen dropped.
Ossy frowned at us. “Why must you torture us, Zheien? Go back to your rock and leave us—” The privacy containment expanded so he was also in it.
I tried not to laugh, but I did. “Oh, I should not. Her poor father! I hope healers can help him.”
“In Council, he shakes. I think he needed healing, long. Governmental positions are far taxing, moreso for old ones.”
“What is he like? I know even Rads must have good qualities. Neither Citsa nor Ossy enjoyed what you said about their fathers.” We walked back to our seats. My latest set’s stats were not encouraging. I started the next.
“O, he worries for all of his people. I felt much conflict in him. Perhaps he regrets his choice of politics. Because he is with healers and ne in prison, I think he is innocent—”
“How dare you speak about my father! Of course he is loyal to the Rads, as you should be, Adia! I should report you to our government for your disloyalty.” Her hand slapped my counter. Then, she grimaced and shook it. “And, your crazy dreams!”
I felt fear, but then a lawyer touched my mind and gave me words. “If you wish to report me, you must find five witnesses who can show, in their memories, that I was disloyal in some way. This proof must be certain and measurable as our chemicals.” On her display, I showed her the Evidence Criteria from Eicken Law.
The same proof for insanity, for admission to Eicken Hospital. Surely, to admit her father there, she had to prove that. Or maybe healers did. In prison, they bring them to look over a person’s memories. That lawyer in my Link showed me.
She fumed. Ran back to her station. One hand reached for Ossy, but he turned to his display in a huff.
Vonn came to us, smiling. They will think twice now before speaking. I hope.
My next two sets failed. I expected results. Frustration after frustration!
Then Citsa caused me more trouble. “Does your Zheien friend know about all your DF offenses? And you tell him you are honest?” She rushed back to her station.