An Elshar stepped out of a green swirl, and Stacy froze. His eyes turned black. Dropped to his knees! “Lady, I will not harm you or anyone! I am here to help!”

Her face turned deep red, and she rubbed tears off. Het waved and gave her a white cloth. “He is nae as the Elshars you remember, who threatened.”

“But—that other Elshar—they found him guilty--”

“Lady, I hope to earn your trust. I would not ever harm another person, unless he threatened my people. I represent artisans. Here is an example of my work, when I am not listening to the concerns of our people.” He waved up a tapestry of Piedmont Park that had a duck and five ducklings. Every leaf on the trees was detailed, and the ducks were very realistic with cute poses, and sunlight gleamed on the lake. Dogwoods and wisteria bloomed. He put it in her lap.

“Oh, this is beautiful work! I wish I could make something beautiful. They didn’t have any art courses in my Christian online school.” She sighed.

“Lady, you and your children may have tutors, and you may study as many subjects as interest you.”

She traced a duck, then tried to give it back.

“This is my gift to you, to welcome you to our colony—”

“But, this must be worth a lot! All this metallic thread, and it’s big!”

He laughed, not a haughty laugh, but soft and pleasant. “Lady, all our materials are available to everyone who wishes to use them! All supplies are shared in a Zheien colony.

“We produce our threads from the output of our mines and farms! Most of these metallic threads are made from common metals that would go in a waste pile, in other colonies. We take waste rock and weeds to make all manner of pigments for our artworks!

“If it cannot be eaten or traded, scientists try to find uses for it, and our colony has an interesting variety of art forms. Poets write poems to describe beauty, and musicians sing or play instruments made from our waste materials. All that we produce can be traded, but we can also choose to give something to a friend.

“Het tells me you no longer wish to be married to a cruel man, is this correct?”

“Yes! I want a divorce! Jim beat us all, and made us eat spoiled food, and threatened to put us out on the street! I tried to leave him, but he always found us.” She looked down and trembled.

“What is a divorce?”

“It is a legal document ending a marriage, created by a lawyer in United States Of America, Earth, by local laws, by particular reasons legal in that place.” Het had the serious blue eyes now.

Keras Pon nodded. “We are a Unified colony. All that is required, to end a marriage, is your wish nae to be married to this man. You are now unmarried.”

Stacy looked up. “That’s it? I don’t have to go to court?”

“Pach ay! Here is your Alliance record, that shows things about you, if you wished to trade. You see it in your language, but I see it in Elshar, which I speak and read. What does it say?”

She looked scared. A holo of her rotated, like I saw in some video games I played with my friends. Her name was above it, and below it was the word UNMARRIED. A nod. “But, can he—if he comes here—”

“If he comes here, he will not leave his ship! I have authority to prevent him from all of Alb, this star system that includes 25 worlds! And, I added a red mark to his record. If he attempts to trade, any who know it will not trade with him. A red mark, for any citizen of the Alliance, tells all around him that he is a danger to them. Anyone who tries to kill can be given a red mark. No world in the Alliance allows someone who is dangerous to threaten another.”

“But, he’ll come after us—”

“Lady, if I could send him to Ih Esta, I would, but Earth did not join it yet. Once it does, and they see he has a red mark, I think he will have an investigation, and I will show him your memories that I saw of his cruelty. Because of the way Ry’nao had Earth’s Alliance Charter written, its Provisional declared every person of legal age a trader. This gives you protection. He will never hurt any person again.

“The red mark I gave him is permanent, and I submitted your proof. Your healer found many old injuries on you that would prevent you from being able to trade well. This is part of my proof. No ruler in the Alliance or the Unified can erase the red mark I gave him, and in Alb, we run progs to keep bad people away.”

Het Paren knelt in front of Stacy. “And, I wish to marry you to keep your honor safe. I will protect you.”

“I can’t marry somebody I just met! We didn’t even have the first date!” She cowered.

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One of the Ishah healers gasped! “Het Paren, quit hiding! Have you moisture, on your skin?”

He looked down. At first, he was muscular, and bright yellow. Yellow faded to dark gray, and he was skinny enough to pass for someone in a famine! Green sweat dripped off his twin, flat fingers! And, his arms and legs were twisted tightly around with huge splits bleeding lines down the sleeves of his blue uniform sleeves and pants. The cloth twisted around his limbs.

That healer gasped and very gently, eased him into his arms.

All the kids got hysterical!

We all ported to that yellow building in Rainbow, on a bed. Healers ran to us!

Keris Pon wept. “You can’t die! Healers just told me your father cannot serve us as Stationed Diplomat Of Rahn Estar To Esta Faho, and we need you to fill his position!”

Het Paran gasped and clutched at his hand. “Fa is so unwell?”

“Cevit Ion released him and Peatabus asked Wasa Mai to appoint you. But I think you are unwell also!”

Those black marble eyes on Het Paran stared at the arch, and another him came running. “Ba, ejis! Keris Pon, I am able to serve you. Healers, save my ba!” He cried.

Nine of ‘em sang. Elsie gasped, and waved up his medical records. Slid icons around.

One of the healers sat Galarsmen up and he stared at them. Sighed, with a wave. A lot more records scrolled. Healers saw this and they sang louder! Looked scared! Elsie worked faster!

Finally, one held staring Het Paran up. Looked at Stacy. “His mind is linked to yours! You must marry him or I can na save you both, and I na know if even this will. What say you?”

Stacy was hugging several of her kids and trying to calm them down. “But, he married my daughter.”

“Lady, his mind is linked to you. This future is changed. Only similar minds link. This only happened because he is dying, and his mind reaches. You must decide now!”

That poor diplomat already looked dead! But, she nodded.

“I pronounce you married, Children. Carry them to privacy.”

Healers took the screaming kids and ran Stacy and Het Paran to the hall in back. Galarsmen wept. His healer made him sleep again.

A lady came to help the kids. When she knew what happened, she got the healers to back off. They were trying to put them on their laps and the kids didn’t want any part of that!

Serie, the oldest girl, was just sitting there sobbing. The lady rubbed her back and she didn’t try to shrug the hand off. “Hey, I’m Suma, and I’m here to help. You look really upset. Want to tell me about it?”

She shook her head and her curls went everywhere.

Her brother grabbed her arm. “Serie, stop! Daddy hits!”

“Your Daddy won’t come. They won’t let him come. Your sister’s not hurting anyone, so you don’t have to grab her. It’s all right.”

He was sobbing.

“It’s okay to cry. You’re scared, aren’t you? Want something?” She waved up a variety of snacks and candies.

Serie glanced up, then looked outside. “We can’t!”

“Yes, you can. All of you can have anything you want on here. It’s my present to you, because you’re having a hard day.”

Serie poked a box of sour candies. The next oldest boy got mints and put half the roll in his mouth!

Suma didn’t say anything.

The other three wanted juice and sucked on it while they watched Suma. Lucy, the 2 year old, threw hers onto the bed, then watched Suma.

“I think you’re angry. Are you angry, Lucy?”

“Mama!”

“Mama’s not far away. Want to sit with me until you can see her? Or would you like a stuffed animal to hold?” She waved up a variety. All the kids reached for one.

Serie held out her arms and Lucy got in her lap. Serie had a big, pink teddy bear on her other arm, and Lucy had a white duck.

The other kids put their backs against their sibs so they all made a tight group.

“It makes you feel better to be together, doesn’t it?”

They all nodded.

“That was scary, but all these people in white, they’re here to help. Your mama has a new daddy. He’s nice, and he’ll protect you.” She smiled.

“Daddy hit!” The middle boy covered his face.

“No, this daddy won’t hit. He’s got two fingers. People with two fingers never hit.”

“No hit? No, no, no. No hit!” He giggled.