“Did I eat four pastries? I need to cut back—”
Pas laughed. “Ella, progs compensate. You need extra food, because your mind works very hard. I encouraged Farley to eat more, and he is much more well now.”
She watched Farley, her husband. His blond curls were a lot rounder. Sitting up without support from his leiwege. That yellow skin had the golden color again, as did most everyone now.
I smiled at Tom. If our progs compensate for our weight, maybe I won’t worry about eating an extra pastry! A lady brought a huge platter and Tom found one he hadn’t eaten since he was a kid that was sweet and too spicy for me.
Farley startled and Ella went to hug, but he didn’t look upset. A happy expression made her smile, too. “Love, Earth passed the Alliance Treaty! Next Monday, he considers a Unified vote. Our clones are very happy! They convinced Dr. Apfelbaum’s family to come here and work with us. Finally, his brother agreed to bring his family, and his will come. Many of his wife’s families and his relatives plan to leave tonight with them. They will come on Pol’s ship, a diplomat of Kin Para.”
A big list of Earthans, had people from Midtown High that I saw in my classes. Some I knew of from GSU. I’d make a friend, and they’d get a boyfriend, and that was it. But, it’ll be nice to have more Earthans here. Most would go to the Earthan colony, though, not our little cities of Rahn Estar.
Karl, Ella’s teen brother, got excited because some of his friends were coming. He talked about porting over to MarKu a lot, and to Ye~. Mostly, it was Jason and Steven and Brian and their ball games. A lot of kids their ages played, Earthan and Zheien! MarKu’s Earthan Colony had 400 people already, in 5 cities! Ella waved up a map and I looked at it. Bedelia’s family was in our Earthan colony here on Elshar Zheiea, she married Jos Keil. My family, and Elsie, who married Nespa. Stacy and her 5 kids with Het, and Yelena, who married Nathanhai. But, all of us were only 21 people on the Esta Faho community in the Earthan Colony. There were a few near our other cities and on the Ferrimos side was Atlanta. A sprinkling of houses, mostly Victorians with an occasional Colonial or Tudor. Near Leiea to the southeast of Piedmont Park were a few made of blue obsidian. One had a bell tower! That’s clever.
Long lists of people with plans to go to each of the other—35 worlds, now? But none waiting on Elshar Zheiea. The other 4 cities of Rahn Estar had about 20 or less people. Elshar Zheiea, the rest of it, has maybe a hundred.
But there was another list that was foster kids adopted by Elshar Zheien. Now that Earth signed the Alliance Treaty, they are bringing 5000 of the 110,000 foster kids here to Elshar Zheiea! “Elsie! Did you see this?” Ella waved to her.
Elsie ran over and her husband kept her from falling as she stumbled to our bed. “What? Foster kids? Oh, I would’ve loved for a Zheien family to adopt me!” She cried.
Nespa pulled with his mind and a huge crowd came running. “See my family, dear wife, they are yours!” One of them gasped.
“Sylvia, you came to us? But I thought the ship nae arrived yet!” A lady hugged her.
Nespa laughed. “She is nae Sylvia, but Elsie, Sae Esian.”
“But, she looks—” A holo came up of her twin!
Records showed that she was a twin, an identical twin, but her sister was born intellectually disabled. She looks normal, the same brown eyes, skin, and hair in neat braids with beads. But she was raised in foster care, too. Slowly looked up. “Sylvie. That’s me!” She giggled.
“Honey, this isn’t a holo like you check your hair in. I’m Elsie, and I’m your twin sister!” I hadn’t ever seen such a big smile on her!
“Elsie. Hi!” Her uneven teeth had a huge overbite, but she smiled like Elsie.
A lady frowned. “Well, that’s nice that you gotta sister, but it’s time to port to the ship. I have all your things packed.” A matronly Black lady took her hand.
Farley noticed that frown. “Are you sad that Sylvia leaves you?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
The lady’s lips had a tremble. “Well, I’ll miss her, but I don’t know what I’ll do without work. All the foster care kids are leavin’ an I didn’t qualify to be a temp home, ‘cause my residence isn’t what they require.” She sighed, and pulled at a black curl. A hair clip fell on the floor. Didn’t even look.
“Could you come with her?”
“They said the contract was for kids, not foster parents. They said none of us could go with ‘em.”
“This is nae correct! Anyone can come to any world of their choice, to an Earthan colony. All needs are provided, housing, health care, familiar foods—”
“I didn’t meet their requirements, for an Earthan colony. They said I had to have skills I don’t got.”
“Lady, our Earthan colonies are in Alb, and there are nae requirements! I send a diplomat to you. You may come with Sylvia and continue to care for her, if you like. Her family will welcome you. They are Merinine and Esian, and they live in Esta Faho.”
“I can keep Missy! Oh, I want to keep Missy!” Sylvia jumped up and down while trying to hug her, and a diplomat rushed into the room where they were. Many other kids on Sylvia’s level got excited and so did their caregivers! A few were with individual kids but some had groups in a big room with toys and other holos. Some were little, and some looked grown like Sylvia. That lady just looked skeptical. The diplomat got that stare with Farley and the connection closed.
Elsie got upset. “Can’t they keep the connection open? I just met my sister I didn’t even know I had—”
Nespa held her. “Love, they must travel, and can nae contact us for a few hours. Can you bear? Perhaps one thinks manual calcs well.”
“Em thinks many will emigrate to one of our worlds. Perhaps they choose the worlds of the children’s adoptive parents.” Farley smiled.
“But does families expected one or several sisters or brothers they adopted wit’ ‘em, an’ they won’t want the caregivers, will they? What if the caregivahs want ‘em? What if they decide to keep the kids on Earth?” Elsie’s lips trembled. She worried her braids. I never saw her touch ‘em, it takes so long for her to carefully braid and slide those beads on!
Nespa looked to Farley to talk about it. “They must decide. Em spoke with many lawyers regarding this, for he is Earth’s liaison for these adoptions. What is done on Earth is nae easily undone, and I think courts must hear any arguments, if they wish to stay on Earth.
“But Em says their loud thoughts reveal, they all wished to travel with their children, those who think to emigrate. Others are happy on Earth and merely comfort the children that they are to stay and they must leave now. Em nae heard arguments, nae at all.
“Their ship loads now. Some of the children were upset when they ported, but all have healers to comfort them. Most are very happy, those able to understand their adoptions. They had frequent holos from those wishing to adopt them, once they decided which parents they wanted on Friday. O, a DS Team comes for their respite and shall give calcs on their ship. Many Teams are available, and other ships have them. We shall see them in 2 hours, Elsie!”
She calmed down. “I guess I can wait two. Let’s go enjoy the festival! I’m hungry!”
We all went. Ella looked at Pas. “Don’t we have to write more progs?”
He laughed, and his red-gold eyes opened wider. “O, there will always be more progs, but after your work yesterday, there is less to do. See Galarsmen? He gathers us in the mud marshes. Elsie, I bring a baker for you.”
Elsie laughed. “I guess I can wait until after the speeches. Zheien shore do love their speeches, don’t they?” Her beads rattled every time her head moved. I liked the sound of it, but didn’t think I could handle so much weight on my head! Elsie said she loved carefully sorting her beads by color as she washed ‘em, when she took it down once a week to wash her hair. It always fascinated me, how many hair products she used, in what order. I just had shampoo with conditioner in it. But Black hair has different needs, I guess.
A baker ran a tray over, with a huge smile. “Nes, you look well today!” This young man had silvery blond curls. He like everyone in sight, had bright yellow color, with an occasional brown, red, green or blue skin. All their colors were bright like they should be with no hint of white, or gray. Made me happy to see it.
Nespa laughed. “O, my sleep is very well, so I nae have to hide more. I feel well. Galarsmen’s healers do miracles!”
“Know you nae that Ella’s progs did this?”
Nespa startled. “Progs? Which?”
Pas waved his up and pointed to a long list of poisons he had, that Ella’s progs gradually removed from his body. He paled. She lifted a hand, but after she looked, put it back down.
Nespa bowed low to her! “Lady Ella, I nae knew! Thank you, for my well!”
“Oh, Pas forgets how hard all the healers worked, to heal everyone. I just ran some extra analyses.” Ella waved a hand down.
Galarsmen walked over to us, and all the healers bowed, including Pas. “Lady Ella, you are modest to extremes! Do you nae know your skills saved us, all of us? I can speak freely, now that Mican is dead. Ih Esta killed him, and all of his clones.” He’s dead? No. I feel him watching this. And, I can’t tell anybody!