“Worry about how our Region will survive War consumes my thought. As it does that of Seventh Galaxy Minister, Cevit Ion, who shall travel here soon. Ry’nao, our emperor, comes also out of his concern for D’gharr and the people of the Areon Hub.”

“The Emperor is coming to Areon? How can a man so busy find time for us?” Derees shook his head.

Ryee smiled. “O, he has many concerns that are vital to the Seven, but the War is his main priority. Ships and armies come of trade, and are the responsibility of worlds. The Unified and The Alliance are trade networks.

“He comes ne to Areon, but he sends Cevit Ion, Seventh Galaxy Minister here to discuss trade with Areon’s government.”

We all saw him standing before a council, but not Areon’s. These nine men and women were Zheien.

I thought a galactic minister must be old, but this man had light brown hair that swept across his forehead. Bright yellow skin. Ryee’s was deep yellow orange. His smile and graceful gestures made me forget that his fingers were rectangular as Ryee’s. Both feet, the same shape as his sleek hands. Striking blue eyes.

And, the place. Nine walls rose to a dull point high above the men and women. Translucent blue threw rainbows all about. Beyond them, people walked. Some traded items along a wall. Children played. Such beauty! The deep blue walls had purple fire in them, the same material of the platters. This is the Council Of Zheiea.

“Our Hub needs ships, and Areon has the largest shipbuilding facility here. Aandat trade is also vital. If we are to survive, Areon must expand trade moreso than she does.

“Instead of spending my respite with my family, I came to you. All of us must work together.

“You see my trading for my kingdom and my emperor, for the war effort. Even now, my people prepare to send what we can to D'gharr, as do all the worlds of the Seven.” We all stared at ships rotating in the holo, and more appeared. The date on the larger holos was this morning. Diff shapes and colors. Some smooth, featureless. Others had knobby extrusions, boxes with buttons, dents in odd places.

“Eriganh, Emperor of the Six, has ships that can vaporize worlds and extract elements. He does this to every world he occupies! We fear for the people of D’gharr, who even now are boarding slaver ships.” Featureless silver saucers had open hatches. Black robed guards shoved people in lines to board.

As they entered these lines, they gave up their clothing and shrugged into gray tunics that barely covered knees. Great piles of clothing and terminals lay on either side of lines of people. Elshars colonized D’gharr long before Areon became our colony. I watched this scene from his mind in horror. This is the fate Areon will see?

“Other worlds beg for fuel and ships, that they may leave. Areon has the capacity to supply them ships, but fuel is the problem for the 517 worlds of Areon Hub!”

Vonn startled. “We have so many worlds using our Hub? Is this why space is so limited, even for alt storage?” He pushed his hair off his brow.

“Ea. Many of these worlds joined the Alliance recently, for fear of Eriganh. All worlds of our Hub contributed so that Areon could build five shipbuilding facilities on the outer worlds of your star system. These are near completion and Areon prospers because of the trade they bring.” Five? No one told us Areon had other facilities besides Eicken!

“This is why Areon can ne use the outer worlds for data storage now. Cevit Ion hopes to convince Areon to expand biome storage and use our Hub, on Ye~. We have much capacity and is easy to extend! Unified Hubs are designed for expansion, even sudden expansion where there is need.” Ye~ has a Hub?

After our core failure 30 years ago, Areon Hub moved to D’gharr, though it still has the same name. We connect through D’gharr. When Ye~ is our moon? Will Eriganh destroy it?

“Even though unfinished, these facilities, combined with Areon’s shipyard, built tens of thousands of largeships to carry refugees. They wait in orbit for fuel.” His mind showed us crowded orbits, ships too large to land on Areon in our Spaceport. All, flattened saucers of bluemetal that gleamed.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

They converted one of the worlds, a gas giant, into a tiny sun to warm these five outer planets. Huge, rocky worlds much larger than Areon. Each appeared as one large city, laid out as was Eicken with small buildings in tens and parks off walkways. Big building blocks included parks. Cattle filled them. Bright flowers. Swallows. All manner of our animals. I felt awe to see it!

“My people’s original colony ships are in use there to house many tens of thousands of workers. Most are Elshar who learn to be shipbuilders.” Long halls had beautiful tapestries that served as wallportals to quarters. Men and women chatted with smiles. Huge central rooms had labs and tech to combine ship components. Walls of these ships were redviolet and revealed the ships all around them, dwarfed in comparison.

Tens of thousands of workers in these ships alone? How many more populate each of these five worlds? All of Areon had 65,000. Shock, that Ye~ had colony ships, and loaned them to Areon to house workers! How much trade they must be worth!

“Governor Schwer took much convincing, but I am here as part of a small trade agreement between our worlds. He wishes for us to discover fuel.

“He gave Director Pragate the task of choosing departments that I have the skills to aid. Director Pragate offered me two choices: Conventional Fuels and ANW. I chose ANW because of the quantities of raw materials to produce it on Areon and other worlds of the Seven.

“I studied all of your research. ANW is the key to many new fuels and I believe we are close to the answer, thanks to Madame Rayaline's work.” He smiled at me. But what if I cannot find it?

“These five worlds contain much ANW. Adia’s research can save our Hub’s entire Region if we can find one fuel based on it!” His mind showed us maps for ANW and many other materials used to refine it. I knew they were plentiful, but the sheer amounts shocked me. Similar amounts in outer worlds of most star systems in the Seventh. All of it was mined. Stockpiles grew of refined ANW, amiritkaln, and many other compounds I used in my research. Empty spaces that once contained metals for ships. Waste rock filled the mines on these outer worlds so they were in no danger of collapse.

Even after all the refining, the quantities Areon’s system alone can produce would fuel every ship in the Region! A graph showed future production and predictions of fuel output. Every future ship would have fuel after all these worlds, moons, and asteroids became ships and rubble. Within one year. The 10,000 days of one Areon orbit. Can we last a year, with the War but two days from us?

So many worlds depend on my research? I felt faint! Ryee put a hand on my shoulder and strength poured into me.

“I wish all of you to call me Ryee and be my friend. I offer any help I can provide while I am near you. Here, I am merely another scientist.”

Vonn opened his mouth several times. “Mr. Ambassador, it will be very difficult for us to think of you as just another of us. Will you teach us what the Alliance expects? This is a great honor, and I do not wish my department to offend them.” He trembled. Four of us did.

Ryonne~ shook his hand again and added his other hand also. “My friend, the only one aware of this visit, is my father, Elder King of Ye~. He expected me ne to give my identity. Would you accept help in trading without seeing my record? I practice ne deception. But, we ne wish to cause anxiety among the people of Areon.

“I visited three times before this to research in the Areon Library, by permit. Governor Schwer wished me ne to come because he felt my title too distracting.

“I am a diplomat, and diplomats merely speak with people to learn, and to explain. Anyone who is ne a diplomat has ne need to know protocols or learn to bow or worry for speech. This is how the Alliance defines it.

“Please, call me Ryee. I enjoy your polite customs, and with you I can practice them. The work is before us, Friends, and I chose your department because I learned enough to add to it.”

Ossy and Citsa frowned at him. What did my sister possibly see in Ossy? How did I consider Citsa to be my friend? Today, I see them as they are inside. But, I felt that Vonn and Derees valued my work, which before today, I was just another of six.

I shuddered. Ossy's father worked too closely with the DF, and Citsa's was DF. Hoped my family would not suffer because of me!

Vonn and Derees—Derees has a wife and children—Ossy's uncle is on the Areonic Council for Lilmerica beside Citsa’s father.

Papa never approved of Maia's interest in Ossy, though she refuses to court him. My father never said a kind word about any of the Kochs and changed the subject whenever Maia asked about them.

The Wilneses—my father disapproved of the time that Citsa visited often. I had not invited her in over a year, because I noticed. Because she criticizes my work without a pause. Struggled not to think!

Perhaps they are the reason Papa wanted me to stay in his section, Conventional Fuels. Ossy and Citsa wanted to be my friends, and eagerly, as I was making my decision over this position. They knew of me from their relatives who worked with us in Papa’s department. Had frequent disagreements with all of them.

Papa warned me to be careful here. Most of my incidents with DF came after upsets by Citsa or Ossy! Often, Vonn or Derees, or even Tanda sent them on errands when they became critical of me—Stop thinking!

What can I do to help you with Mr. Koch and Miss Wilnes? Telepathic communication was frowned upon, but Elshars used it freely. Maybe his species does also. Without Emotion Detectors, I lost my fear of it.