Suddenly, we knew that Eriganh was headed to D’gharr. None of the council members were interested in what Farley said. They got drunk and we left. When we reached the Diplomats House, it was empty. We went to the ship.

The spaceport had only a few ships and hordes of slavers trying to steal them! Pat, Tis and Han were writing progs to hide all the biomes from slavers. Han fabbed a jeweled terminal like tenters use, to run the progs. Pat looked up. “Ley, I saw an Esteerrian ship here, in this spaceport! We need to leave!”

Farley shook all over. “We can nae. Diplomats can nae. Half the Council left! By Alliance rules, the moment they lifted, they are nae longer Council. Those without ships already take dorna from the corrals, if they have trade, and soon there are nae dorna left. They go to lower-numbered provs. Eriganh has five world destroyers with him.”

“Farley, take some bis tia.” I waved up his leiwege and he let me put him there.

“I—use too much!” His herb terminal had one left. It didn’t help him.

“My brother says a little marsa could help. Other Teams used that, even when Zheien didn’t have nesfa—”

He turned gray, and I made my doctor give me a vial. I put just a little on his neck. At least he stopped sweating, but fear kills Zheien. He’s sick, every respite now. Marsa makes a Zheien stare. The moment I gave it, I couldn’t feel his thoughts! But people in his Diplomatic Link kept asking if he was all right. I answered a few, then got them to help him with others. Novas! How can a man rest with that going on in his mind?

I made Han hold Farley, and Pat and I went trading. We found Zheien terminals, herbs and slaves, as well as food in large supplies! Riding animals! Tessite! Valuable items! People were trading everything they had for a few ships that weren’t very spaceworthy! I let Berto know and he gave me trade for larger quantities, for Elshar Zheiea!

Every trader in Elshar Zheiea brought every ship available and filled ‘em! Their normal items wouldn’t trade, if they weren’t ships. They needed every ship. So, they used up their trade. Somehow, friends gave more trade. Areon gave ships from their five shipbuilding facilities, so people could get away! Berto told us to trade the small ones for slaves and food, and items Elshar Zheiea could trade later. There were mostly large ones, but the small ones were very fast.

D’gharr also sent ships with Council members and pilots, who were supposed to bring them back with food and healing herbs. We saw them trading them for slaves! DS trace progs we ran told us later, none of those ships went back to D’gharr.

And, he let me know all the worlds of Rahn Estar, Par Vu, and all of Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony was moving! We were to go to Council the next day, and if they weren’t meeting, we’d be helping the Elshar Zheien move homes, farms, and every animal we could get! Ferrimos coordinated everything. They hid stores in dorna corrals and people’s stone homes. Even underground in Burial Chambers!

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

The rest of the day until sunset, we traded and loaded our ship. Farley had shock on his face when I told him. Didn’t he know? All diplomats have the Diplomatic Link and know things from it.

He asked me where we went, and that’s when I knew he resorted to umar seg. Han slept beside him. Ran the ship’s doctor to see what Farley had, and it was umar seg and not another dose of marsa. I took it out of his herb terminal. I’d seen him use it multiple times when upset, and Elshar Mashai is enough to keep any man upset! My brother was furious when he knew how often I saw healers using it on Esta Faho last respite! His best friend’s a healer in the Diplomats House in our jeia. When Han saw him reach for it, he didn’t let him put much.

We brought large amounts of Zheien healing herbs. But, he wouldn’t use much bis tia. We brought nesfa but didn’t let him use any. We’re not traveling.

The next day I went to Council and they were drunk. Too drunk to even know I was there. So we moved the ship to Elshar Zheiea without getting permissions. No one contacted us! Berto told me we had progs to hide us. From an Alliance Hub? Novas!

People cried when we unloaded food! They told us Marenalay was attacked, and no one came back with food and they were lost. That was weeks ago. When we came back from our respite to get Farley, we found him in Ashapat’s Chambers and he told us not to mention Marenalay. So it was when we gave people food in Ferrimos that people told us Farley’s tutor survived the attack, went for food, and didn’t come back. He was one of the few skilled riders who could ride a ferrisna, a very fast animal. Tech’s rationed so you have to have a very good reason to port or take a ship, and they don’t consider supplies. Has to be a mission. So many stupid rules designed to exterminate Zheien!

Peh Ras was exhausted, so Pat, Tis and I helped until he was sure we could do some work while Ashapat helped him sleep. We were in the middle of all that and the Hub went down! It had been on and off. This was Jan 10. So we used the ship’s server to pack everything that we could without it being obvious if Elshars came. We spent our time trading and brought our ship from Prov Nine to Ferrimos 15 times. They transferred everything, including slaves in stasis, to other ships, some that wouldn’t fly.

We also had thousands of slaves! People took them into their homes and tried to care for them. We were able to trade for large quantities of herbs, some obviously stolen from Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony farms in Marenalay. Many farmers pulled up all of their crops and traded them for transport in the lowest numbered Elshar provs. They came to the Colony in droves and King Challet promised them safety. Many were artisans. Few had any trading skills.

So was that when Marenalay was taken?

No, that happened December 16. We packed Marenalay. Left Farley with Ashapat! He was with his tutor there when it was taken. Helped evacuate people. But, he didn’t remember much.

Ashapat pulled me aside. “I find nae injury with him. Did an Elshar touch him?”

“He used umar seg.” Han shared how he pulled it away so he didn’t get much. And I showed him that I had it. “Should I give this to you?”

“Did you run analysis on it?”

I had my doctor show him what it found, and he paled. Took it. Put another vial of the clear gel in my hand. “Do not use this unless you feel he will die if he remembers. In his colony they use umar seg as remedy too oft! More than once a year invites severe injury! But this is contaminated with many mine poisons. I will give it to our Science Council. They will know, perhaps, what I must do.” Ashapat took Farley’s yellow herb terminal and replaced it with a red one. He complained that even Farley’s herbs were contaminated.