I knew of King Challet’s plan to gain trade through mining and farming, and he is not a dull man. If we are to go there, I can help them, with these herbs of Leiea. I gathered all of our seed. None of these other healers came from our home. They are of other provs than Moro.

Fahie worried, because Mican has ambitions. His family settled Par Vu before the Zheien colony, and Challet sent them much help and people to stay. And, farmers from his Marenalay colony, that feeds all of Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony. We often traveled there to learn techniques for his herb farms. Does Mican know?

Fahie warned me. We slept poorly. In the night, Mahie died. I tried to help Fahie, and he died also. I rose and went into the upper chambers of the mine nearest us, to cry, and maybe, to die there.

But, as I rose, my foot disturbed a rock, and there lay a white cube that shone. A skeleton’s hand fell off it. An Elshar hand. I picked it up. Knowledge filled me. Mican is na what he seems. This cube is of a higher tech level, and I am to use him to counter what Mican will do.

I went back and put my parents into stasis of death. Someday, I will revive them, when Mican is dead. And whatever I can do to bring that death, I will.

Via went out to the garden and the sun was rising. He made two mounds in it. Fabbed bodies from his parents’ bodies, decayed ones.

Mican came to him. “Oh, you poor thing. Come live in my house. I have a young son who needs teaching. Teach him the right herbs, and I will let you eat our food.”

Mican took him on his personal ship. On it was Micansen, and a thin boy. “Ba, he must have more food. Can I give him more?”

Mican hit him. “You are soft. Give his food to this boy. I will train him. He just buried his parents.”

For days, we traveled. But I gave part of my food to the boy, and healing. My healing was much better than I expected. I faked his death also, and made a body for Mican to find. He traded his own bahie to Ilhanhsa, as I expected, but soon they demanded the quartertrade returned, for he was not usable.

He beat us. I barely saved Micansen. But, he stopped on Esta Faho. People gathered with Ikon, their colony start leader.

He angered and made Micansen leader of all the Elshars, and most were Elshar. Then, Mican left for Rahn Estar to cause trouble. I healed Micansen and left him with an Ishah. I hoped I could trust him. The Cube said I could.

But, the Cube made me older and ported me to Ishah, a newcolony. I took the name Feia Na. I had a clone on Esta Faho to live my life there.

My knowledge of healing grew and I went to Zhea~. There I was reborn as a Zheien child. But, I was now aware. I was not Zheien, or Ishah. I was Laruu, as were my parents. They are not dead. They are hiding because Mican almost detected them. Let him think we are Ishah, that my clone on Esta Faho is Ishah and willing to do his bidding. My Zheien parents named me Feia Na and taught me healing, as Ahstam’s Zheien parents did.

But, I also learned genetics from the Science Council. And learned of problems on Ishah from Elshar-Zheien marriages. I solved the problem and created a new species.

So I traveled to Ishah and went to King Dainona with my proposal. He agreed to let me reclone him Ishah, if he found me well as an Ishah. I recloned myself as this new blend of Elshar and Zheien, and he was very pleased. So he went to his Council as Ishah and appointed me leader of it.

Elshars were not happy, and left, or were killed. I led my new people, and soon there were millions of us who wished to be healers, not traders, as the Mashai wished. We grew faster than any other Elshar world. Mican advanced to Par Vu’s council. He hated the Ishah more than the Zheien.

Elshar Mashai’s Council had members who were on the side of—Mican was there, too? He was sent to Esta Faho to protect the weapons facility and brought people from Lisbaar. To get at Gedda Dier’s secrets. But, Via’s father was secretly Nairaesa of the Elshar council until he learned of Mican’s plan to help Heden.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Mican found the Black Cube and now he uses it to help Rentappenen. Via recloned himself using his parents’ bodies when he couldn’t bring them back. He has all of their memories. Of how Rentappenen took their world, and another Laruu named Pinda hid their Hub and faked deaths of all of their people, so some of their Elshar Elders like Via’s parents could escape. And, Mican is the one who destroyed it.

Via gasped! We sat in that garden, and people around us were frozen. How did you see this? Are you a Councillor? Do you hold a Cube?

I shook all over. “I don’t know how—” I sat on the bed by sleeping Tom. Via wasn’t there. My chest heaved.

Galarsmen sat up. “Yea Becky.” He hugged me, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. Tried to forget what I just saw. “Are you unwell? Let me see you.”

He looked me over and didn’t find anything but fatigue. I did a lot today, for being so sick with COVID just two days ago. He did turn off my antivirals. My aandat did more than he expected?

I wanted to ask him questions. But, what? “What’s Lisbaar?”

He tensed. They make the most powerful weapons on our tech level. Why think you of Lisbaar?

I played dumb. Someone said there were red Zheien there.

He laughed. Eae, there were, but the Zheien colony moved to Lisbaar Alb, and they are well. The Lisbaar did genetic experiments to help the Xchou survive. So they combined Zheien with Xchou but added a little Ty’nirrhan, and they are very strong. Kaleo, 4th Galaxy Minister, is from Lisbaar, and he has been a very strong galactic minister. He was over Escet Vu and Par Vu and all his 14 farming and mining worlds.

When Mican was council member over all the Elshars on them and on our worlds of Rahn Estar?

O, you are a student of history! Eae, once he ruled all Elshars, from our 5 worlds to Par Vu and his 14. He was very angry that the people chose Ikon and not him, to rule over them, so he went to Ishah. King Dainosa sent Wasa Mai, Leader of his fine Council to rule. Wasa Mai was greatly respected. And, Ishah are Elshar by charter. He knew Ikon would serve him. And he did.

Wasa Mai decided there should be more council members. Mican demanded Micansen to rule Esta Faho, and his son Micanfa to rule Rahn Estar’s Elshars. Mican wanted to keep the post on Rahn Estar to rule all our Elshars.

Mican went to Par Vu’s Council to rule all Elshars in Par Vu and his 14 worlds! But he always came back to make sure his brother and his son ruled as he wished. They did not, but we hid that.

He rubbed an eye and his healer made him lie down again.

Then, something I saw in those memories jumped out at me. My last act is to take the terminals back, and die.

That healer looked at me. “Yea Becky, what is wrong? You seem troubled.”

“What are terminals?”

He waved and held his green cube. “These. Some call them hand servers.”

“What about--?” I put my hands at my temples.

That orange skin went white! “Slavers put terminals in a man, to punish or train him. They use devices, a helmet, perhaps, or discs that one holds at the temples. It inserts them. A person is never the same, after, though at times we can remove them. The process is very painful. How worry you about this?”

“Oh, something someone was talking about. Do we have progs to detect them?”

“Eae! They run automatically so we healers know of them. Pirad has better methods than I learned.”

I nodded. Forced a smile. Looked at Tom, peacefully asleep. Farley. Sleeping by busy Ella. Who else? I noticed a red glow at Tom’s temples. And, Farley’s. I reached with my telepathy. Oh, my. Fa has ‘em. And, Fae. Nathanhai, Yelena’s husband. What can I do? Pirad didn’t know how to disable them. But, this Pirad’s a clone.

I got up. It’s dark now. It was sunset when I came back, and now it’s dark. The festival’s still going on.

I walked around for a bit. I should go to Mama and Daddy’s and see how—but Rilley's sleeping and so are her kids. Mama and Daddy are watching a movie. They’ve got a privacy screen so the noise won’t wake ‘em up. That Zheien boy’s still playing her piano, but Mama and Daddy aren’t hearing that.

A little further. I walked through Piedmont Park and there was that wilderness area. I touched the map. No Earthans, or anyone else. In the middle of it, I ported. The map showed me Alb Seer before I ported and aimed me there.

I shot up into the red sky. Below me there were lots of Earthans enjoying the festival, but people don’t usually look up. I could easily see it if one did. They didn’t.