“This first tapestry shows the Destroyed Stars, a sign that a higher tech level had problems. And, the laboratory on Deesamor that did terrible experiments on many species. One changed Aryllans from the peaceful race we knew to the savages they are now.” Ry’nao paused to let me look it over.
I showed Ry’nao how an Aryllan attacked Berto, which shocked him! There are Aryllans on Bisillipia? “Berto and my other Assignment Specialists work there! I will send Pirad to him. He will not be happy that I know.”
“We will find Cassandra. She lives on Earth, and will want to join DS.”
Ry’nao laughed! “Adia, you should become a matchmaker instead of a scientist! Will you find wives for all my lonely DS men?”
I giggled. “Adia The Matchmaker!” In Kleideu they still had matchmakers to help lonely people. “But I would not ask trade for it. Just very good traders can afford one. Their work can take months. My work is instant! If I can see it. I only hope we can find these people and they are not frightened away.”
“Ah, I think if we study the culture, we can be friendly, and reveal more as they know us. This is how my contact teams operate. Oh, Berto is very upset!” Ry’nao paled.
“I am sorry!” Tears made a tiny powder cloud. Why do I open my mouth?
“Cev will convince him. We brought aandats with us, and he refused to take one. However, most men do not survive what Aryllans do. Berto is a strong man. All the ones we have are impregnated with white Tessite, to make people strong. Elshars have fears about them, but Cev spoke with many Elshars and he knows why.”
“I ne ever understood. Many Elshars die of unwells that they prevent.” Ryee’s face oranged.
“Let us change the subject. Oh, Ket is here? He convinced D’gmiash and Ni’olmai first. Berto agreed to take one! This is a good day!”
Deesamor was a place of beauty as well as horror. From that lab came the Biehshah, altered Bisillips. Ryee showed me many friends among them, on our ship. They look much like Areonians, but their skins can be any color, and are fuzzy not unlike Maff’s warm skin. Memories came for several of them.
He smiled and we walked to the 2nd tapestry. These were huge, two meters tall and as wide. Fine work.
“Here is Erigan, a healer. He found the Red Cube there.” A yellow Zheien laid in a clear stasis box. His lower half blurred and changed shape and color. “At some point after, he added the h to his name, as Kajarian warriors do.” Ry’nao looked at me.
I shuddered. “Hiliset. Pirad can reclone him Zheien.” Ryee waved a padded bench and made me sit.
“Hiliset, my 3rd Galaxy Minister? Where is he?”
“Opherap. A Tessite mine and an experimentation facility operated by—they poisoned K’hasa Zha! Bi Keras. Jonamias knows. They trained him and his father thinks he feigns illness!”
Ry’nao frowned. “I wondered how many traders there changed. They argue like Elshars. I have operatives. One will take Jonamias with him.”
“Can they come here?” But, one of Pirad’s clones sent a deep blue portal. Zheien can travel in them? Pirad equipped this ship with the tech. I dreaded when Ryee would wish to try it! Studied him. No sweat on him now! I sighed.
"I will bring him and his father. He is on his respite."
“This panel shows Ray, an Earthan. She will heal all of Elshar Zheiea from Burial Chambers! I was frightened when I saw her, but she is a well Host, and Eriganh’s Collective shall be replaced with good people. The Red Cube will change to use another emotion instead of hate.” An Earthan?
“Berto negotiated for their Burial Chambers. All the Elshar Zheien boarded a ship much like this one. Their stone homes and straw beds will now house animals! Theaspaura insisted they come to new homes with buildings of eaezhfee. Already, he had a new world terraformed for them to inhabit. Kirnonos moved one to Alb, and they landed this morning! Now they have comfortable Zheien homes. Taredias Gupa modified their ships and they traveled with Samar Thaae.”
I giggled. Their new world has yellow sand and yellow sky! Farms! Lush flowers and good growing conditions. People can bathe in the sand or in muds. On Elshar Mashai, farmers had to water each plant by hand. It looked much like Alb Seer and Ye~, but with sevensided buildings in various shades forming many cities! “Oh, children are happy not to have to wear wraps! The yellow dust is gone from all their possessions, and they brought their animals with them and corrals!” As they traveled, King Challet held a festival to celebrate their journey.
But I trembled as we walked to the 3rd tapestry. Ryee moved the couch so we sat. I wore my purple dress, not redviolet. Why? My long, red hair was clearly visible even though my face was not. Behind me, Ryee held the back of his head with both hands. Eriganh will hurt him? Ryee hugged me against him. His heartbeat, fast. We must be brave. Laura was beside him on the steps, reaching for him. They were dressed oddly, light blue trousers. His shirt was shortsleeved and dark with a design. Hers, light with a red flower.
I faced Eriganh. White light between us met his red and made purple. The white was most of the space three meters between us. I stood tall. He cowered!
As I saw him in holos, braids wrapped around his head with red metal over them, as if poured molten. His forehead, deeply furrowed, and the Red Cube left his hand! Fear showed in his face. Is this the future we shall live?
I pulled Ryee to the 4th tapestry. He stood, dressed in white robes, in a room with many. Ahstam stood beside him, facing the crowd. My husband stood awkwardly, not as in any of his speeches. Looking down. Ahstam kept both hands on his arm. Faces were familiar to me, somehow.
Ry’nao studied that one. “This is Ahstam’s Ennead, and his Nine Enneads of Zheiea. They heal the royal family in He Bae, Ye~ Prov of Zhea~. Why would Ryee be there? I saw this assembly the last time he appointed new members. All of these healers may approve of them once Ahstam names them.”
“This will not happen. We will never be slaves.” Relief flooded me! “Ryee learned healing after he was injured—he will, but not on Zhea~.”
My future husband gasped. I shuddered.
The final panel showed another Zheien world abandoning fields, loading ships, empty barrens when all of this world held Zheien cities. A king spoke to his people and there was a festival. “This is also He Bae! That is King Marel’vanrah!” I slumped against Ryee. Zhea~ will be invaded also? No, there was no fighting. An evacuation.
“Ay, this is too much—”
“We must know.” I shivered. Ryee put a beautiful blanket over my shoulders. “Zhea~ will not move to another world. His star system will move to the Alb System. No one will need to board ships. Pirates will not threaten him then.” Pirates? Ry'nao smiled.
We walked to the 5th Tapestry. “Slavers took 70 decillion in one day! This future will not happen now. MarKu arrived today in the Alb System. Ea~ also, with all his aandat farms. Here is an attack on Siar, but he is now in Alb as well. The Zbbat invaded Ye~ but King Lyyyrah intervened. We lost—two thirds of our people—”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Will it yet happen, Ay?”
I clung to him. “No. But you must visit King Lyyyrah, and I fear it! We both had regen—”
We stood in a clearing of this tropical place. The king rolled towards us, a cylinder of deep green flesh. When he stopped before us, he stood two meters wide and one, tall. Round arms ended in sharptoothed mouths that he used as whips, bare centimeters from our faces. His elephantine legs, short, threetoed. But he jumped with highpitched screeches and we answered. When he paused, I put my hand between his froglike eyes, yellow and as big as our heads! I showed him our friendship. It surprised him much that I would dare touch him. Because I shared these memories, he abandoned plans to test us. Instead, his people returned to care for the weak.
“Ay, you can ne think to do this—”
“See what happens if I do!” Oh, I shuddered, but he convinced all Zbbat and Esteerrians to abandon slavery. We showed him how slaves suffer. On three terrible visits, Ryee tried to convince him. Even Ry’nao did not know he did this, or Fa! “He will send a colony to Ye~, and so will the Zbbat.”
Ry’nao embraced both of us. Ryee, I noticed changes in Lyyyrah’s government, but never imagined that you did this! My son, you deserve to be an Elder.”
I nodded. Brushed sweatpowder off my arm. Ryee oranged, but smiled.
Another panel showed slavers invading Escet Vu, another Zheien colony Ryee visited several times. They also traveled to the Alb System. Siar, a Zheien world with many resources, decided to move when they knew other Zheien worlds planned it. Many colonies already moved to join our ships, this quickly! Some, because they lost vital trading partners when those planned to move. All our worlds are moving into place, as we speak! Even Vasye, with the largest healer colony in the First, moved to Alb.
The 6th Tapestry showed the Council. I held the White Cube, J~oie had a Purple Cube, ‘Ao, his Gray Cube. Others held Cubes in a rainbow of colors. Clearly now, Vadia, our daughter, held the White Cube. Ryee held a Redviolet Cube! Erigan, the Master Healer of the Sixth Galaxy, stood beside them, holding an Orange Cube. Young. Strong. He wore his red hair straight. White healers’ robes.
Both men, Host and Councilor, had gray skin and beady black eyes. The Red Cube of Fire, held by a blackhaired woman with a kind face, an expression of determined concentration. “That is Ray of Earth.” A gray-skinned Aryllan Host held the Blue, with long, saber-like fingernails; she and he locked gazes! The Blue Cube’s Councilor had a blurred appearance, perhaps like Wslarc appeared, with ever-changing features. “Satauuver”.
Another Cube had a different color on each face, and that Ty’nirrhan host was like the Blue Cube’s. “Rentappenen.” And, at his side, I saw little W’Vie. That sight took breath from me! “W’Vie, J~oie’s bae.” I shuddered. So did Ryee.
Rentappenen held out a yellow terminal. “Opseh Wehn Cet, Greg’s father, the slaver. We must find Greg Wehn Cet on Earth, who organized slaves to stop him!” The woman with the Red Cube held a hand towards W’Vie, as if to beckon him to come with her instead. White light glowed in W’Vie’s hands, and he frowned at Rentappenen. W'Vie and Vadia appeared grown, but they are children.
A young Zheien with orange skin, dressed in redviolet—no, in formals. As Ryee wears when we speak to our people. Stood behind Ryee with both hands tenderly on the back of his head! Ryee looked exhausted, perhaps near collapse. White light of healing illuminated his head where the young man’s hands rested. Sudden peace came. My husband will have healing. “W~Via, our bae!”
Ryee looked closely at the young Zheien in the tapestry, and his hands on the head that was definitely his. Shuddered. “How much silver is in my hair!” A hand rested on it. “He is short. Great unwells cause a man to have much silver before age. Fa has long hair, and yet, silver came too early for him.”
“Dear friend, perhaps yours will be silver from trials already past.” Ry’nao made him sit beside me. He trembled.
“Ryee, this will ne happen, this silver in your hair. We have time.”
But others in the Council—“These men Gathered us to test us. They are not Councillors. This one is Uon, who poisoned J~oie. Rej, who injured you, Ryee! The planet is Gh’osstlee. Laura said its name fit, because we were all frightened there!” I sighed. “Oeket’s deception shall not happen.”
“There is hope in the 7th Tapestry. Look. All the refugees of Zhea~ and other Zheien colonies hide in this world.” Sad refugees came off these ships onto a world with fountains that had bathing sand, and healers for every person, who tenderly cared for them. Most of the unwell had orange skin, but their faces were unclear. “They will not be refugees. Zhea~ will move to the Alb System, and all Zheien Colony Remnants will have their worlds, also in the Alb System! Then we shall be as Sigan Mas!”
Ry’nao gasped. His gray eyebrows flew up! “Then, the Alb System will grow to fill a galaxy, as Sigan Mas does? It and Fereshah were places of many levels. Deesamor was planned to be, but was not sanctioned by any Council.”
“It shall be a star cluster with worlds near to one another, at first. Not all of Zheiea must move.”
“The 8th is Rainbow Unwell Colony on Alb Seer!” White sand, colorful groups of buildings, and again, healers to take sad-looking people off them and care for them. Panels of that 8th tapestry had scenes of cloning, Burial Chambers, and Hubs, the huge servers that give tech to worlds.
“Zhea~ must move to the Alb System now, with his sun. Another sun can be added to give energy. All colonies plagued by slavers also must move now.”
Then I stared at the blank wall. “Where is the 9th Tapestry?”
Our Emperor startled. “There is a 9th? We found eight. Did you see the 9th Tapestry?”
I saw it, in my mind, in a room. Very faded. Details became a little clearer, as I looked at it. I waved up a map of the Alb System, as it is now. I added worlds until hundreds of stars orbited Alb, with their worlds. “This is the 9th Tapestry. Within a year, Alb System will be like this.”
Ry’nao nodded. “So, more worlds shall move here?”
“They will. Many small colonies will have greater peace if they move, and there is no limit on how many can come, if they bring a sun. Kirnonos improved Sigan Mas’ System so it became a galaxy!”
“He did that?” His laughter startled me. Kirnonos heard his loud thoughts and ported to us.
“Ry’nao, did you want me to create a galaxy here? We can.”
“Would we need permission from the Council? The Third? The Second?”
“No. Any government can create a multilevel entity. Sigan Mas can help you word the charter. Sigan Masans wanted to create one, and did, without permission from anyone. Such an entity is the exception for serving many levels at once, as long as the levels remain separate.
“Biehshah had plans, but lack of fuel stopped them. I think Leader Suan would be happy to discuss it, if you ask for him.”
“Slavers target certain worlds. K’hasa Zha must evacuate as soon as possible because the whole planet is poisoned. They can join Elshar Zheiea but the Elshar KhaZha can stay. Most are Bi Keras. Those who are not must flee!” Bi Keras, a large slaver network.
“I will speak to King Donterian, however, he is very changed. Is he poisoned?”
“He and his bae. Levels above the 5th will take the poison, but not for many years. Elshar Hub is here. A biome tech will find it. Fereshah Hub is here. Another biome tech will find this one. People of both these worlds are alive in stasis, below Burial Chambers’ deepest levels. They are hidden by the Hubs.
“Molly Brown is only 12. Can she hold the Rainbow Unwell Colony charter?”
Ry’nao frowned. “If she has enough people and they choose her. She can.”
“She had 525, all on a ship to Ilhanhsa. But the 125 from MarKu are safe and shall not be slaves. There are 525 slaves near Earth who shall choose Molly to lead them, because she will heal them. Jog Sa and his parents are among them.
“It was Oahsah who wished her to lead the colony start. Oahsah, Tutor of Fig, MarKu is on MarKu. We will find Penny on Earth, who will marry Goes.”
Ryee smiled. “O, my friend waited long for happiness! Maidens fear his title. But, if Molly is only 12, how old is Penny?”
I saw her using slaver herbs with friends who led her astray. Her parents worried much for her. “She is 18. At 18, an Earthan in the United States is grown.”
I showed Ry’nao many worlds that would be attacked in the next few days. We discussed high-level officials missing and where they are held, how to rescue them!
“Adia, thank you! My governance changes much today! All of MarKu will celebrate Jog Sa’s return, and his father Ker Sa, because no world has a server instructor who can write progs as they do! Will they be able to work?”
“Yes! Their slaver has them writing progs, not working in the mine. Not until later that they suffered devastating injuries. He seeks ever higher trade for them. His mother entertains slavers with her music. If only I could see the world!”