Cevit Ion showed me his little brother, Jirris at his birth. Oh, how cute he was! With a full head of straight, dark hair.
Another memory opened that made me shudder. He was injured, the night Elshar Zheiea was taken. His Thordes friend tried to get him to his ship in Prov Nine. Heden knows he is your ba. Rish Hai is also a target.
Cevit Ion startled. How can he know?
He has help from the Second Level. Worse, your fa was killed trying to save them.
His sorrow nearly pressed me to the floor. I could not stop, but I showed him herbs that came from higher levels than that, and Ry’nao listened. What of sources? How do they come to ours?
Slaver ships in the Eighth, from Esteerr. Ryee can befriend King Lyyyrah and much of it will stop. Tch'Zbbatr was once on the Third Level with Bisillipia and some tech cannot be Taken. What is a tech level?
I will explain later. Now, concentrate on your work, Madame Rayaline. I help you to see home again.
But, I must appear on Therapy Square. At sunssets. I showed him. Outside, simulants did a major refit of EDs. People watched this, and many were taken to DF.
I worked faster. Ao~ helped me, and Oesha, Leader of ScSv on Ye~, helped Ryee. Others helped Vonn and Derees. We brought stares from the visiting scientists. A very few also worked as fast as we.
Ryee wrote progs to direct the simulants, and soon we ported quite a supply to Conventional Fuels. He made an army of new simulants that looked like people. Holosims. My mother discovered this way to give intelligence to holos of people’s ancestors. One near me was my grandfather, who took me on ships at times when I was little. He smiled as he mixed. She used holos of him stored in old clothes in her closet. Once, we played them often.
Near Derees was his father, Rees and his grandfather Harries. He enjoyed seeing them.
Other departments had questions about the new fuel, and we ran analyses to try to answer them.
Vonn and Derees had to repeat a good bit of Ossy's, and Citsa's, work for their report. Luckily, Ryee and I were able to help by then. Ryee wrote progs to automate much of it.
Vonn prided himself on keeping under budget. Ossy’s sloppy progging created a deficit because of all the maintenance on the mixing chamber. Pragate oft used our section as an example to other sections, not six months ago.
But, Ryee wrote so many progs, the department worked out the deficit. Especially with the selfrepair prog for all the equip.
Vonn shook his hand. “Thank you very much, Ryee. I will remember you in the Traders Circle. My tutor is taking me to Elshar Mashai soon, so I can try for my blue robes. Director Pragate said, when we come back, no one but leaders will trade. See this document.” He waved, and a long document appeared.
Ryee touched his head and hummed. That brought a wide smile.
Finally, all the automation was in place to fuel all of the ships. Vonn and Derees waved down their displays.
Pragate read all of our reports. Took a deep breath, with a smile. After his sleep, he looked alert and no trembling. “Oh, it is nice not to have to use a breather. Mrs. Weiss gave us a great gift.
“But, Madame Rayaline, you saved us all. We shall gather at Therapy Square now to board ships. There is enough fuel for us to load all of our buildings and farms into Ryee’s colony ships. Our colony shall be self-supporting on them. Yours, also.”
Ryee nodded. “King Theaspaura offered for all of us to come to Alb Seer. We can orbit there safely until our star system is moved into place. Biehshah makes preparations now. Work on the Nefcot Ring commences. By the time we reach Alb Seer, Nefcot will supply energy for all the worlds of the Seven. Even Elshar Mashai will have tech.”
I trembled. “Will King Herda move MarKu into orbit around Alb? Many Zheien colonies could live in safety, and worlds can be towed with their suns to add to it.” Plans flowed from me, and Ry’nao laughed. One star system is easy, but the Biehshah can add multiple star systems at once. I shall speak with the Biehshah! They offer this to me, but the expense of fuel made it impossible. Now we can. Thank you, Madame Rayaline!
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
These plans are not mine. I held the cube in my pocket, and it warmed.
Knowledge is given from others, but your mind channels it and shapes it. Knowledge is useless without creativity. Can databases create a new fuel as you did?
Citsa waited as we walked to the door.
“Miss Wilnes will be seeking other employment.” Pragate waved. Their employee records came up and both had red marks at the lower right corner. But, Ossy’s had a light blue mark. He is in prison. Pragate's sign, not Vonn's. Their families would have another, longer personal visit from Director Pragate, and it would not be pleasant. He added another red mark and waved on it.
“You can’t do this to me! Pragate, Ossy’s father will get you. He will get you!”
“Perhaps, but you will not escape.” He smiled at her. “Because you threatened me, you will go also to prison.” A light blue mark appeared on her record.
She gasped, and tried to attack me with her telepathy. I stepped back, and Ryee stood there. “Security comes.”
A huge ED floated into the room. We worked to control our emotions. A metal arm grabbed Citsa’s arm. She screamed and fought!
It dragged her along. Pragate followed it. So did Vonn.
I heard her in my mind. You are my killer. My friends will kill you before you reach home. They are waiting!
Berto stayed in my mind and helped me slow down my breathing.
A holo appeared by Ryee. Cevit Ion! “I apologize, but I need your testimony in Council.”
He bowed low. “May I port?”
Cevit Ion returned the bow. “They will nae allow it. Use caution. The weatherless period will nae begin for an hour.”
“I will be careful. Ay, I wish to see you afterwards. Governor Schwer gave me an appointment at four to discuss your passage to Ye~, to our ships.”
I smiled. “I want to come.” Oh, my heart raced! Have to keep calm. Ryee’s mother helped me.
Derees took my arm. “Come, let us walk together.” I will help you.
“Danke sehr.” We followed Ryee. Once he passes the doorway, the ED will be active. Progs cannot run outside in the hall. I tried to breathe. Nothing is like in the memories I saw! Ossy and Citsa are not here to upset me. My heart beats too fast!
One hall and another. A scientist passed us. Oh, the traitor!
I tried not to listen, but another. You hurt my cousin.
And another. My cousin is in prison. Ih Esta saw him there. He has bruises on his face. You sent him there! This man showed me how Ossy trembled, and how thin he was!
Derees kept me walking as we reached the hallway that leads to the Aud. I read the labels on the doors as we passed. Intelligence Instruction. Mama’s office. The window in the door was dark. She is home by now. No, by ships with my sisters.
The last door opened. Papa took my arm. “I will walk with her, Derees. Come.”
We stepped out on the walk by the Aud, where I first saw Ryee. Waved our brellas up. Rain pelted us. I shivered.
On my other side, a woman shoved me. “Traitor! Citsa is in prison because of you!”
A man also shoved me. “You will pay for this! I—”
Anger rose, and a DF grabbed me! “Come, it is time for Therapy.”
The inorganic simulants escorted me towards Therapy Square. Sun1 dipped below the horizon. The rays of Sun2 would not last long.
"Tears are disgraceful. You must stop. You are Areonian. You set a bad example to the people. If you cry, you make what is to come worse." Both inorganic simulants droned in their whispers as they walked me to Therapy Square. Desperately, I looked at the flowers, the sky, to control myself. When I reach there, I will act.
Papa walked behind me as I looked back. He is there.
Drabness of the meltedsand buildings. The dusty walks of beige. The unsmiling faces of the people who stood on either side of the path. Mostly the faces of strangers. People filled the walkway as they walked towards the Square.
More people jeered at me and I sobbed. Papa walked beside me, on the other side of the simulants. Their cold pincers already made my arms burn. Frightened faces, all around us. DF took many, but not the ones yelling at me.
As I looked into the gathering crowd for familiar faces, I saw Mama, my sisters, Maia and Aronna. They turned away and she hugged them tightly; I knew they risked setting the EDs off themselves.
I thought of Ryee. Did he get to Council all right? But, someone in my Link watched him reach it. He is testifying. I worried for Maia! Does she know Ossy is in prison?
If I try to use telepathy, the DF will kill me where I stand. If I stared at anyone. I saw it happen twice with victims who felt they had nothing to lose. Kept my eyes off people. My mind searched for my uncle. When they release me, I can risk it.
Before me I looked past the two silver poles, the only sign that the extension of the path beside the Detector Force building had any function besides foot traffic. They stood about three meters tall, and more slender than my arm.
The inorganic simulants generated a containment field, lifted me a few centimeters off the ground, connected me invisibly to the machines. I stood suspended between the two poles, arms and legs stretched taut in the containment field.