We will need a lot more materials today. Ryee, can you help us trade? Vonn rubbed an eye.

I know where to get all of these, and more.

He helped me up and I had more energy than usual! Rushed to my terminal and brought out many cylinders.

Citsa came over. “Hey, that is my amiritkaln! How much are you going to use?”

“Enough to stop the Kajarians from taking D’gharr.” I did not stop.

Vonn frowned at her. “You will not waste any more of that. Security!” Their holo did not come up. He paled.

She laughed. “Poor old Ado. Do you wonder what happened to him yesterday? Do you wonder why poor Derees has so many headaches? I think his eisha might be more expensive now. Maybe if you tell Adia to stop using all my amiritkaln, you might find some for him.”

“You need to—” Vonn stopped, mid-sentence. Dropped his hand. “I will trade for more amiritkaln. Excuse me.” He turned on his heel and went to his area. Ryee already had holos up, trading. Looked up and smiled at Vonn. But this was very diff!

Holos of so many items, they overlapped, floated! His hands blurred as he pulled icons to traders of many species! Never did I see this many items up, even when I watched Uncle Asha! Ryee’s delight tingled on me. He loves trading. But, I must not let them see how I enjoy watching!

As I did, I continued measuring and filled rack after rack. Derees’ array had more capacity than we knew. I planned to test its limits.

Ossy’s jaw dropped as he watched him. Citsa jerked his arm and pointed to her holodisplay.

Ryee rushed to Derees’ side. This is for you, my friend!

He put a yellow pyramid in his hand.

What is this? Oh! He squeezed it and a vial of green came up.

Rongahi, for your mind pain. It is far safer than eisha for an Areonian! I asked of Pas, my master healer. If this ne helps you, come and I shall let him heal you through me.

It is? Thank you! Using the vial he rubbed green above his teeth. Smiled, and his shoulders relaxed. Then he went to his area and many more cylinders appeared.

Again, Ryee brought more holos and spoke with people on the Areonic Council! Many used angry gestures. Some argued with the angry ones.

Another holo appeared. This man wore cobalt blue trader’s robes with Tessite trim. All arguments ceased as he pointed at Ryee.

Security escorted one Council member out. That is Per Wilnes. He shook all over and stumbled as they pulled at his arms. Terror showed in his face. I felt sorry for him. Do they take him to DF?

More materials appeared from Conventional Fuels. Any time, I expected Vonn to get a holo demanding an explanation, but it did not happen. Ryee spoke with tens of officials.

Materials kept coming! Now I had enough amiritkaln and many cylinders appeared in Citsa’s area. At first, she looked very happy. But as her counters filled up, she got a panicked look. “Vonn, you can stop now! Vonn?”

Ossy got angry with her. “Did you think before demanding so much of this? We will be working for days, to clear this!”

“I need it for my research! Don’t you need it, too?”

“Not this much! I have no room for my experiment!” What experiment? Both of them mix for Derees now!

Then, a notice appeared on Citsa’s display. She blanched.

Ossy angrily pushed symbols around on his screen. Her hand tapped his shoulder, but he shoved his body closer to the counter. She jerked her hand up and simulants filled the mixing chamber.

Mentally, I stepped through the path from these raw materials to the catalysts I would need in two weeks. No, 13 days. It will not be 20. In 13 days, it will all be over. My notes will help the next scientist. Today is but the first day of this.

Pairs of cylinders waited for my mixing. Blue and green. A slight reaction. Red and yellow, a larger reaction. More cylinders for the irradiation chamber. Progs checked it. Status green. I mixed until my arms grew shaky.

Someone in my link offered help. Warmth soothed my aching arms. He mixed for me. A Zheien scientist on Ye~, Ao~. I sent him my gratitude.

O, I am excited to meet you! Your reports in the journals are very entertaining, yet filled with useful information. See how we use your discoveries.

He showed me how some of the waste products from my catalyst processing solved a problem botanists had with plants. Exposure to byproducts of amiritkaln processing, our major source of mineral waste, made plants grow faster.

This is amazing! I never knew we could do anything with this.

Ah, but these were dying plants! Now they live and thrive. We can ne explain it. Only the waste from your experiments have this effect. The other waste helps healthy plants grow more.

I studied their results. The same mineral compound, from my colleagues, did nothing for dying plants. Only that from my processing did. Everyone in our department used the same steps I used because I was first to use a new method. Vonn approved the release of data from our department. Nothing I thought to suggest, to find a difference in our methods, would change this. How is it possible? Did I someway contaminate my samples?

Stolen story; please report.

We checked for this, Madame Rayaline. There is ne contamination.

Please, call me Adia and be my friend. How many scientists work with you, on Ye~?

He laughed. O, there are a thousand. You have 20,000, ea? His mind showed me an orange building. Groups of scientists performed experiments around a space larger than our Aud! Every chair was different. Where groups used tables, every table differed.

I felt uncomfortable. Perhaps Areon has so many, but in Eicken we have a hundred. Most work in shipbuilding and the rest of us research fuels.

His shock came to me. But, the journals report many discoveries in animal science, new ways to grow foods, intelligence studies, and genetics. Eicken does ne research in this?

My mother, Marelei Rayaline, is in Genetics but she cannot discuss most of her work. The topics you mention are mostly in Kleideu on farms.

He sighed. I thought you spoke much with other scientists, on Areon. Surely you have help for such important work?

Ryonne~ came to help me, and I am very grateful! Today we recreate two weeks of my lost work because my experiment exploded. I felt so ashamed, that I nearly killed my friends.

Ao~ gasped. I dreaded what he might say, and I tensed. Did you see a healer? Eja fae ne, I would be in healers’ chambers a week or more!

Oh, Ryonne~ healed me. My poor friends were very worried because they could not find a healer for me. He saved my life.

You ne have a healer, and work in such danger?

Ao~, you tremble so! What upsets?

My friend had peril, and she can ne see a healer! He wept.

The other voice spoke to me. Madame Rayaline, are you unwell? I am M’Naga, Master Trader of Ye~, and I have trade to send a healer to you. Ryee asked me to help our Science Council communicate with you. Ne’zh, Diplomat of Ye~ from the Diplomats House, relays our thought to you.

He bowed, an old Zheien with white curls to his shoulders. He pulled Ao~ in and made him bow. Ao~ was my age! Dark hair and eyes. Then, M’Naga popped in and bowed. He wore cobalt blue traders’ robes but was also my age. Reddish curls and gray eyes that opened wide. They all smiled at me.

I laughed. Oh, I am well. Ryee healed me—

My friend is very skilled, ea, but he is ne a healer. Pas, come to us!

Ao~, are you unwell? He sang, and I felt fresh! Is Ao~ sick, because—I should not have told him about the explosion. And, I laughed? I should be ashamed of myself—

I felt arms around me. Ea soe ya oeo! Ne this guilt. Pas healed me, for M’Naga worried, but I am well. Feel my strength? Mentally, I returned the warm hug. Are all Yeff like Ryee? If my life were mine, would I move to Ye~?

I wish to see her, but Ryee is ne near her, is he?

I looked over at him. Many holos up, and traders in blue robes lighter than M’Naga’s. One Elshar looked angry, despite his light eyes.

Another Elshar appeared. He had cobalt blue robes but wore a deep red uniform like Ryee’s, with a medium blue sash. The pins on it sparkled. Pah! If you cannot trade fairly, you deserve—

The man put both hands on his knees. Trembled. You may have my mineral, for 300trade.

Ryee waved. You may have 400.

The man vanished and Berto laughed. I want all the waste from that amiritkaln you just processed.

All of it! Did you see the amount?

I did. One of my teams needs it to balance a trade and save fifty worlds. Ossy looked up and frowned. Citsa kept shuffling symbols around on her display.

And what will he trade me for it? I trade for Areon’s Alternative Fuels.

See these items. A golden table, several old scrolls, jeweled terminals and herds of dorna filled the space at the bottom.

Ryee frowned. These are fine items, but Areonians cannot use them. They need these minerals and my friends can ne find any.

Berto found 18 traders who would trade those rare minerals for the items, which Ryee got from all that processing waste!

Vonn nodded, and Berto smiled as his holo vanished.

Ryee waved his holo down. Vonn and Derees each put a hand on his shoulders. “What a trade! Who is this Berto, so I may thank him?”

I will introduce you. If you sit in Adia’s area, a holo of you at your workstation will show. Several scientists who worked with Ao~ used that holo to carry out his instructions!

Amounts rose in my display. Showed, he supplied us with enough chemicals to finish this work. Enough, in two weeks, to fuel all those ships in orbit around those five worlds! I have part of the answer.

What if I cannot find the rest? No one in my links had answers for me. They promised to keep researching. I have hope.

Vonn sat in a chair by us and stared. Is he all right?

Ryee came to my side and helped with the mixing. I introduce him to Berto. He is well. I looked to my left. A new irradiation chamber, four times as large as the previous ones filled my counter!

Derees filled array after array in a new mixing chamber on his counter!

Vonn had a new device behind his counter that purified raw minerals, much as Conventional Fuels had! It was as long as the counter and as high as the vaulted ceiling! Other devices appeared as simulants filled them.

I felt awe, that Ryee could trade for so much in so little of a time!

Tanda had a new device on her counter and cylinders filled from a holo of the Barrens! What tech is this?

I felt absolute calm, for the first time in my short life. Purpose fills me. My people shall be free of this oppression.

We worked to the point of exhaustion. In bare hours, I recreated all of my lost work, with Ryee's help! His methods matched well with mine, and together we set and mixed and calculated and documented.

Such a volume of materials! We used it all to make catalysts and refine ANW in many forms for experiments. While Ossy and Citsa struggled to use the amiritkaln that Ryee supplied.

It made me sad that their experiments wasted so much of it! None of their results were usable. While they kept busy, however, they were not staring at Derees so much. Both of them were first to go to the cots.

Ryee, I wish to see Madame Rayaline. Ao~ is very worried about her.

But, you saw her through me.

Ao~ can ne know this. I also have worry if I healed her enough.

Ao~ smiled and mixed for me.