A man next to him that resembled him startled. It seemed strange to me, to see a Zheien startle! With all that telepathy, you’d think nothing would.

This man stood and raised his arms. I felt tingles from all the Zheien! Farley let me know this is Goes, 1st Prince Of MarKu, Zhea~’s largest and most prosperous Zheien colony! They all love the rulers of MarKu. “Everyone, we will be delayed for a time. Slavers started a slaver mine on Titan just two weeks past. Pirad, a brilliant scientist, sent a ship and an army of holograms with containments to wrest it from them. He was successful. They will arrive in about an hour. We must be ready! Most of these slaves are of MarKu, but many have friends who need them. We fear to separate them. Most are terrified, and think they go to another mine. Many of you have memories of adopting former slaves and caring for them in your homes. Will you help us? We can nae bring more healers here quickly. Our healers are mostly those with nae experience healing slaves!

“I ask that those of you with children younger than 10, and those who fear to see injured or fear for their children to see them, move to this chamber near us.” He pointed , by rolling up the outside flat finger, and an arch showed an empty room.

“Those who wish to help us, please stay. Move now, my friends. We have little time to teach you the work of healer helpers.”

Most everyone with small children moved. Several families knew each other and worked out who’d go and who’d stay. Jason and his sisters stayed. One lady had a large family. “Patty, can we leave our flock with you while we help out?”

She smiled. “Sure! Is that all right, Mama? I’m sorry I got mad.”

“I am sorry for what I said, also. Go and help them. Jana, please go. I will sing for them.” A Hispanic lady smiled.

Her little girl hugged her arm. “I want to stay and help, too! I’ll be 10 next week! Please, Mama?”

She looked worried, but nodded. “Can you see difficult things? People with owies?”

“We watched 911 and I didn’t get sick.”

“Okay, stay with me. If you get scared, we’ll go.” I wasn’t too sure kids that young could handle—Mama took Allison out. Daddy offered to stay, since Jo, Rose, and even Karl wanted to stay. Their holo-friends weren’t there now. Elsie looked scared, but she didn’t move to that room.

Steven ran in. “Oh, good! I’ll stay and help, too.”

Another boy came. “I will also help!”

“Puret, you’re not ten yet, my friend.”

Jana pulled at Puret’s arm. “You look my age! I’m helping.”

A dark-haired man ran in. “Oh, Puret! I’ll stay with you. I can be brave. Our friends come—” He shook all over.

A blond man held his shoulders. “Derees! My friend, are you sure--?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I want to help! These poor people need us! All the diplomats and scientists come, too.” They spoke with a German accent.

And a lady staggered in. “Rees, I want to help. Sonalina will stay with our younger children.”

Derees put his arms around her. “Let us sit. Tasia, do not try to heal them. We will sit by them, ja?”

Pas went over there. “Patasia, Child, you need more rest—”

“Are they resting? No, because they think they cannot be free, like I did! You said, Healing is healing. I need this, and they need it.” She smiled and hugged Derees’ arm.

“Then, listen carefully.” He still looked worried, but smiled.

Everyone came in from the other ships. A few walked across to the other room, which was probably a ship. A lady with a baby and two of Derees’ boys went through, and several small Zheien children went with her. And a Zheien with a lot of pins led two older boys, but a younger one stopped him. “Fa, I wish to teach Eavia, Joean and Hav how to help a healer—”

“And, I wish all of you to go! Bae, you are ne able to heal—”

“It takes ne strength to look, Fa! I have restraint.” This fella had red curls. Golden eyes like a setting sun, and his dad did, too. But Dad had long, silver curls but not many lines on his face.

He sighed and it rumbled on us! “Promise me you will ne heal. This is too much excitement for you, Bae!” Those golden eyes dripped yellow sparkles.

The eldest boy hugged him. He had dark curls and red-gold eyes like Pas. “Ne fear, Fa. I know how to block him if he tries to heal. See?” He touched the left side of the older man’s face. This one looked maybe, 15.

“We will ne let him, Fa.” The next boy rubbed his father’s arm. He had auburn curls like his older brother and golden eyes. They looked a lot alike. Looked Brian’s age, about 12.

“I will help him to ne let him, Fa.” He had a shape like maybe a ten-year old, and had light brown curls, but those same golden eyes.

The men laughed.

That older one kissed each forehead. “Ea, stay with me, my bae. Let us sit there.”

Their mother had a time getting the other kids to go with the others, but they went and she sat by Vonn and Derees and Puret sat by Bianca and Jana. I smiled at them. Easy to remember all these names, with my husband’s elephant memory. That term amused him as I thought about how elephants remember when to migrate.

“O, Liz!” That younger man reached a hand for a young girl.

The man with her sure had a lot of pins--he startled. “Indoe, 3rd Prince Of MarKu!” He tried to jump up and bow, and the prince held his arm down. Everyone carried on about the royalty of MarKu, especially how talented Goes is! I didn’t know much about his brothers.

“Nae bow, dear friend! I nae expect it. Please, rest! Your color is light, very light! Pas—”

Pas frowned at him and put him in his fa’s lap. “You must ne exert so! When they come, I shall choose your unwell, for all four of you.”

“Ea, Pas.” He sighed, and it rumbled on us.

The Prince hugged him and his fa, too. “I am very happy to see you. Every time I visited, I nae saw you, but I looked for you. All of us. Please forgive me, to speak of it.”

“I wish to know you, all of you, ea. If Laura can bear, I wish to come and visit MarKu.” Laura! People spoke in whispers about her, in Rainbow, how she talked about things openly that brought slavers to Ye~!

That prince glanced at Pas, who frowned. He just rubbed J~oie’s head. He doesn’t want him to visit them?

J~oie took a breath, as if to say something else, and leaned his head against his father’s shoulder. Fell asleep.

His father acted like that was normal! The misery on his face told me he still worries about his son.