“Challet, King Of Elshar Zheiea, will now speak.” He bowed, and Challet bowed much lower.

His silver curls shook on his shoulders. He had more pins on his sash than Cevit Ion! His uniform was orange-yellow with a yellow sash. Tessite decorations, similar to a master healer’s, decorated the border of his sash. I hadn’t seen that. He definitely fit my definition of a fairy tale king, except instead of a crown, he wore a flat nine-sided hat of golden yellow with Tessite symbols on each panel’s part of his headband. He was graceful, despite trembling. Farley let me know he is near 200 years old and he’s waiting to be recloned younger until his wife is with him. Pirad is working on that.

Outside, a bunch of people in white tunics and pants led riding animals of all descriptions! Some were like horses and in most colors we have ‘em in, but others had different-shaped heads. I recognized dorna, like very muscular donkeys with cow faces. Caeln, kind of like camels, but they don’t spit or have humps. They have very flat, soft backs, and they’re slow. Healers love to put sick people on ‘em if they want to sleep on one, because they’re somehow good for Zheien mind pains.

“My people, we have much change in our lives today! I fear for all of you, especially my bae and sae who came from slavery! You are free, my children, and you have healers to care for you. Rainbow’s healers can help any of you who have pain with certain thoughts, or even to hear your names. Please, tell a healer if you have pains. Remember the words of Queen Molly. Rest when weary. See a healer if unwell. These are wise words, so I also use them.

“My people, I asked all of you to come to Elshar Zheiea, all those of Rahn Estar who provided us foods and minerals to trade, and facilities that will yet produce ships and weapons, but we think the end of our long war comes soon. And, all those of K’hasa Zha. Some fear to come, but we brought all who were willing, led by King Donterian. We will nae relent in trying to convince all of Zheien birth to leave K’hasa Zha! We fear those who refused my request are trained to stay with slaver herbs.

“I sent many operatives, some of them, Earthans, to live as Elshar traders but watch for those taken as slaves. Most of us are here, and we number 20 quadrillion in K’hasa Zha, 2500 in Rahn Estar, and our facilities on Rahn Estar and Esta Faho have 25,000 workers, mostly in the shipbuilding facility. But, these workers are nae part of our numbers, for they yet have citizenship in their Elshar homes. Perhaps 20% are Ishah.

“We offered for all to live on worlds of Alb, and few created or moved homes to Alb. They have lodging, but nae official homes as far as their Alliance records. Few are of the Unified. If one wishes a citizenship, he may ask of any diplomat, and we have the Diplomats House Of Rahn Estar. All are told of it.

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“Adia Rayaline, Scientist Of Areon, discovered a new, plentiful fuel. Ships idle for centuries fly again! Pirad, Elder Of Bisillipia, came with healing and new tech for portals and ships that those of Zheien birth have nae pains to travel. Most species have nae pain, but there are some that nae travel for fear of death. Even those may now travel, so we will see new species among our traders who visit Alb! This is a time of miracles.

“Adia is now Queen Of Ye~, for she married Ryonne~, King Of Ye~, Ry’nao’s Unified Diplomat for four years, now! He is the youngest to hold such a post, and she is a worthy wife for a skilled one such as he. Many kings of Zheiea are rethinking our tradition of long courtships. They look to my kingdom and I advise them that a hundred years past, I advised all of my people to make their courtships a week at most. Our haste in courtship and marriage brought nae harms to us. Marriages are happy, and I lose fewer during this happiest of times! We are nae a foolish people. Perhaps Ryonne~ and his new queen lead the way for other kingdoms. Their people are happy, and even Ishmarel, King Of Zheiea, married his Alice today.”

People waved their arms in the air, so I did, too. Farley told me the Unified Diplomat position is the 2nd most important and a joint position between the Unified and Alliance trade networks like Diplomatic Service, Traders Service, Science Service, Healer Colony Service and Education Service. Unified Diplomats rarely last 2 years because their missions are the hardest on our level. Ryonne~’s family has had many of them, so that’s one reason Ye~ is so respected. They only have 2500 people. MarKu has 70 decillion. You’d expect, statistically, for the largest Zheien colony to have the most talent. So much I didn’t really think about, as one of gazillions of Diplomat-In-Aides. I never realized that we weren’t the garden-variety DS Team handling disputes on Elshar Mashai and maintaining biomes. Farley’s a treaty diplomat, despite leading a team. He always wore the white version of the uniform. Other diplomats only wore white when accompanying a treaty diplomat on a joint mission. Once I left Sigan Mas, I forgot a lot of the stuff I learned. Right now, because of those memories, Sigan Mas is fresh in my mind, and I’m seeing through that lens. A lot more things are making sense for me. Not that it’s going to make any diff in my progs!

I expected him to talk about Adia’s ability to see futures for people, or her prophecies about the fall of MarKu and other places that landed us here, but he didn’t.

The thought hit my mind, I’m linked to Farley’s mind and he’s at the peak of his career. He just came from tutoring to be a galactic minister. His last mission was part of our first year together when he was gathering support for that big treaty he was working on now. Will he be happy married to somebody as ordinary as me?

His mind gave me a hug, and I tried to leave my doubts behind. I love him. Maybe I love him even more than I did in those memories because we’ll be living in his home instead of just a few respites. I can get to know his family. We didn’t have that--

“I wish Ashapat to explain what we do in Rainbow Elshar Zheiea, to ease your minds before we move to beds there. Ashapat, Master Healer Of Elshar Zheien.”