“I wish you to visit all of my people on your ship, and learn of their well. I know all of my diplomats had to leave their work today, and I fear for them!” His sorrow rumbled on me! “I wish them to know that I love them, and I trust them to find that work that pleases. Many feel useless in my kingdom without their familiar work.

“But, for the first time in our lives, we have safety in our home, if we can only believe it. Bedelia, Becky knows you well, and Tom, 3rd Prince, also knows you as he does. He heard Princess Becky’s memories of you, how you encouraged her to have confidence and how you inspired her to speak to others. I wish you to use your powers of persuasion to help my diplomats. Will you?”

I quivered. “Yes, sir! I will talk to them all!” Part of me felt fake! I’m terrified, and I’m supposed to convince them not to be scared? But, it’s a worthy challenge. If they just don’t die of fear!

He hugged me. He’s shaking, too. If he’s scared, then probably every Zheien in Esta Faho is, too! “You have strength, in these changes. How then, shall I advise my people? Is it wise, for my healers to gather them in healers’ arms, or should we rise and work, and, perhaps, die in it? For we have much work, even in our new world.”

I didn’t expect that question! But, I thought about all the Zheien diplomats who died in my arms, begging me to let them get up and work! “My liege, if your healers want you to rest, you need to do that! Your people need their leaders to listen to their healers first. I can organize some Earthans to help while you do this.” I didn’t know how I’d get them to help, but organizing people is one of my strengths.

He looked at Tom. “Please, for me, do this, Tom. Help Bedelia to help our people while we are unwell. I will go with them and rest until Tom and Becky come to me.”

Tom bowed. “I am eager to serve, Fa. Rest well!” He rose and a huge group of people went with him to the other group of seven buildings, all a single color. The Rainbow I knew had one building with every wall a diff color, and the other buildings looked like these.

But as each person passed me, they bowed. Some stumbled as they came up, and I grabbed arms to steady them, with a smile. Men, women, and even children, all with worried faces. Tom also did this. Zheien are very different than us. I’d be very critical of an Earthan man who cried in front of me, but not these Zheien men, who are all like my Keiley. They are very strong, yet tender, and they all let their emotions show. If I’m going to be a Zheien leader, I can’t hide my emotions as I’ve done all my life. They won’t see that as strength, but as dishonesty.

It was hard to do, but I quit trying to hold my tears back. I’m a leader now, a Zheien leader, and to be strong here, I have to let my emotions show.

Along with that, Tom guided me to share my strength. With my telepathy, he helped me touch minds, very gently. I showed the love I have for Zheien, these gentle people who never in their history started a war. I showed my hope that everyone will be safe now from Elshars who want to hurt them.

It surprised me that many of these people weren’t yellow-skinned. Some were green or blue. Tom let me know some came from Par Vu, a world of mostly sky blue Zheien, but some married yellow Elshar Zheien or green Eans, and the children can be any of those colors. Some yellow-skinned Zheien have brown children, too, and some Eans are brown. Most are yellow, but those who are don’t treat the other colors any differently.

A third of our people are Elshars. Not the haughty Elshar Mashai who mostly attack Zheien. Elshar, the Fatherworld, had hundreds of countries with diff customs. So, Mashai value trade above all and anyone who doesn’t trade is seen as weak. But Ash Mashai value poets more than traders, and many other ethnic groups of Elshars valued artisans more. So our Elshars are mostly artisans who hurt themselves trying to trade.

Trading with telepathy is brutal. You put in a few items, then if someone trades for your item, you track them with your telepathy and contact friends who might be interested. Even a person with very strong telepathy can’t keep that up for long without hurting themselves. You can die from injuries, or lose your telepathy entirely! Any species with telepathy, not even Zheien are immune to that.

As we touched minds, I felt people’s headaches and Tom alerted their healers. He couldn’t feel it?

Bedelia, we have different talents. Earthans often have Gifts, Pirad told me. You have sensitive telepathy.

Am I prying in their Inner Circles? My face burned. Outer Circle is where you talk to friends. Inner Circle is where your thoughts form before you decide what to reveal and what to keep private.

Nae! Your telepathy is polite. We all try to hide mind pain, for we nae wish to burden others with worry for us. But, you can feel it, and is very well for their healers to know so they can try to relieve it! Our people are weary, but some are injured and must have healing.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

But, won’t they tell their healers anyway?

Many worry for their healers! In our colony, many had to work harder than most healers, and had injury from it.

Healers got hurt? In Rainbow, Molly was always pushing her healers to rest and get healing just like she told everyone to do. I wasn’t all there in Rainbow because I got brain-injured myself from that Elshar’s attack, and my husband’s injuries affected me through our mind link. Now I put a lot more things together from those memories.

Tom made me quit after just the first 15 people, but he let me listen, and I could still tell him if someone had mind pain.

As I did this, I noticed both my parents watching. They had awe on their faces. I guess this is like trying to picture Governor Brown crying in front of an audience. That’s laughable! He’s got more of a tough-guy attitude than most Republican politicians we’ve known. Of course, I’m a closet Democrat. Don’t dare discuss politics in my family.

Margarite also watched me with tears in her eyes. She’d make a good Zheien. So would both her employers, who treated her like family. They run a restaurant with five locations in Atlanta, and their eldest son just became manager at one. I tutored him for his business associate’s and taught him managerial skills. Margarite could’ve, but she didn’t think she knew enough. Most of what he knows came from her, though. Managing a household gives you a lot of soft skills that transfer into running a business. Like refereeing conflicts among employees. A lot of that is just good communication skills. Margarite taught me a lot about that, skills my parents really never learned.

I think living with Zheien’ll be good for all of us. Telepathy’s a balancing act. With Zheien, you can be honest, but you have to also learn when to keep your guard up, like when you’re near Elshar traders who might not be. Or, other Earthans whom you don’t know. Zheien are experts at that. Even as injured as Keiley was, he still taught me a lot that was kind of automatic for him. The guards came up as soon as we stepped out of our room, in Rainbow.

I had that going on here, like I always did in that future.

Tom looked around the ship, and like a laser pointer, I saw where all my Esta Fahoans were. Tom and Becky are in a room with them on a tapestry of Esta Faho, next to us. Another room has Nespa, who’s sleeping on his bed. It must be really hard on him that I got married. He wanted to court me in Rainbow. But, Elsie’s lonely.

The next room had Ella, my age, a programming student, who married Farleikon, another diplomat friend of Keiley’s, and he’s--

“Hey, Elsie! You want a house, don’t you? Ella’s dad wants to design ‘em.”

She stood up, but cringed. “There are a lot ‘o people in there!” She has horrible social anxiety.

“Most of ‘em are kids. Tom’s brother is in there, too.”

“I can go also! I love children. Perhaps I distract them for you. Let me go first.” He ran in there. Sure enough, the kids loved him!

Elsie took a deep breath, like for a dive. “Okay. House, here I come!” She hesitated, but got her feet moving. I managed not to laugh.

Time for me to get to work. I pushed Elsie in there and she kept her arms down. Pas, a healer, watched us and I pointed him at her. Good.

All the others were sitting together near us. I went to Het Paren, another diplomat friend. “Hi, I’m Bedelia, Keiley—uh Jos Keil’s wife.”

This poor fella shook all over. He’s really thin. “Hello. King Nitomahan is eager for you to speak with us. I am happy he appointed you to our council.”

“Oh, he appointed my husband! I’m just his helper.”

“Lady Bedelia, wives serve beside their husbands, and this is an equal position. Both serve us together. Is nae like Mrs. Brown, wife of Governor Brown, who nae sits beside him to sign legislation. She does other good things, but nae attends his meetings.

“May I explain Zheien governance?”

“Yes, please do!” I never knew anything about Zheien colonies, in Rainbow! People said Molly ran Rainbow like a Zheien colony, but no one explained—well, I didn’t really ask.

“On Zhea~, we have a king, Ishmarel, who governs all of Zheiea, all 800,000 colonies of us. He has a council of nine members. Each of those represents a council of nine, who each represent a council of nine, and there are many.

“King Challet rules over us on Elshar Zheiea, our new world, and he wished to gather us. His Council has nine, and Wen watches over all colonies of Elshar Zheiea. Rahn Estar was 5 worlds to bring ore and foods to Elshar Zheiea, and trade with one another and the Council Of Par Vu, which was the closest Zheien world to all five, for trading. So, Wasa Mai, King Of Rahn Estar, rules over us, and his Council has nine. One for each of our cities. So our kings have council members to represent them. Mican represented Par Vu to us, but he now only represents Elshar Par Vu, because all Zheien of Par Vu moved to Escet Vu. Micansen represents all our Elshars. Millie is over Rainbow Elshar Zheiea, but you are her council member for our Earthans, now.”

“How many Earthans do we have?” Becky, Elsie and I, that’s 3, then Ella—Becky’s parents came, 2 more, Ella’s family, 6 more, and whoa! More people ported in. Are they staying? That’s a couple and a little girl. Pas went to her, fast, and nodded for an aandat that zipped—she’s sick. Her parents don’t look happy. If I had a kid, I’d want a healer to see her. Anyway, 14. Farley’s talking to ‘em and both Toms.

And, away towards the wall was a lady with 5 kids. She looked scared. That’s 20. And, in another room is a 21st Earthan, Yelena, with Nathanhai, another friend of my husband. That’s in Esta Faho.

Elshar Zheiea has more. Cevit Ion has a lady with him, that’s Shannon. His clone’s staying on Earth to be Seventh Galaxy Minister. All the galactic ministers had to let their clones take over, just like most of the diplomats? And they are all sick. Even Cevit Ion is looking white and not golden yellow. His wife looks worried.

This ship is mostly Elshar Zheien, and about half of ‘em have Earthan wives! Glad I don’t have to track all of them. Then there’s all the clones. I’ll start with the hosts.