We went back to the festival. After all that, it was really hard to enjoy things.

Camila found us at the musicians with Angel singing “Sempre, Fidele” because she wanted to learn it. Camila joined in and what a voice! She sang alto. I had a descant with my 1st soprano voice and Angel, who really could have taken the descant, sang 2nd soprano.

But Uncle Chase was with her and sang bass. I didn’t think Daddy could hold a note in a bucket, but he sounded like an opera singer!

After the song, she pulled me with her. “Oh, you sing beautifully, Kia! I hate to bother you during the festival, but our people need some help organizing their government. You two are good with such things, yes?”

So, we went. A lot of it didn’t make sense to us. Mexico City had a lot of corruption in its government, though superficially, it was very similar to Atlanta. Ir insisted they follow the pattern Zheien use, with wives equal rank to their husbands, and the men mostly argued against that. They also didn’t like the abuse progs, as a group.

I talked to the women, or tried to, and they got glares from their husbands so I waved up private containments. Not one would talk to me, with or without Ir present. Scared. Many of them had scars on their arms or faces. Oh, that made me mad.

“Listen to me, all you men! Women are equal in all of Earth Ye~. If you don’t like it, you can talk to King Eanne~ or Se~spea, Council Leader. They will also tell you that abuse progs will run. The Alb Council agreed to it and any world of Alb will tell you the same thing. Abuse is not tolerated here.” I waved up a display, in Spanish, of the number of times it had gone off in the last 3 days. Many of the men got upset. More like indignant.

Se~spea ported in. He’s very short, but had the cobalt blue master trader outfit and the red-violet uniform underneath that all the Ye~ Council members wear. He glared at the men and his anger shook the room so the chairs rattled! Their council chamber was a conference room with hand-carved wooden chairs, so quite a racket! “All of you, I gave you permission for your city. But I see Kia’s report of your cruelty. No group in our colony may openly abuse anyone. If you can ne follow our governance, you may leave. I warn you, any Zheien colony will have similar rules to ours.

“If you think Samar Thaae, D’gharr or D’sharr will allow you, they also agreed to our rules.

“Even the Earthan Colonies Authority agreed to them. I see that none of you meet their educational or skill set requirements. Education is offered to you here if you can follow our rules. Otherwise, your only option is to go back to Earth, but I warn you, if your wives and daughters do not wish to accompany you, you can ne force them to leave with you.”

Some of the men got angry and left on foot. No one left with them who were female. Not one. I smiled.

The others asked some questions and one offered Se~spea a bribe. He ported him just outside the door and answered another question about trade with Mexico City.

Camila smiled at me and Chase did, too. Se~spea turned to them. “I wish you both to be Governor and Governess Of Mexico City Ye~. Thank you for bringing Kia and Ir, and I am happy I resolved your dispute.” But he said it all in Spanish.

My stepmot—aunt curtseyed in her colorful Hispanic dress. “I am very happy to serve! There will be changes in this council and I will speak to all of our women. They are inspired by my daughter, Kia.”

I smiled at her. Having two mothers is a pleasant idea.

We went back to the festival and watched Doug reciting a poem.

He saw us and finished up. “Irdaktin and Kia! Here is a poem for you.

Kia was a cashier at three different jobs

Oh, how busy her Earthan life was!

Then a jealous co-worker decided to sabotage

The drain pipe at Charlie’s Lanes.

At Kia’s door were Irdaktin and Der,

Diplomats in white, standing there

When Charlie’s Lanes’ lawyer gave Kia his folder

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And Irdaktin all payments offered!

Kia then saw her future and oh!

Saw their marriage and love so

They came to Adia’s Ship and Garat said no!

But marry, they did, which made them both glow.

Now on Ye~, Governor and Governess

They rule Biehshah Ye~ in fairness

No more will Kia work at harsh jobs

Unappreciated! Their people have happiness!

He bowed and his wife Jen made cartoons of my coworkers with Randy cutting the drain pipe with a devilish expression! I laughed!

Doug waved a copy to our terminals.

Ir bowed to him at the waist and Doug returned it. “Thank you for this poem! I am happy that you remembered my dear wife so! Doug, I did not know you were a poet, but it seems Ye~ made you one! I knew you as a trader, but you saved Der and I on at least 5 occasions.”

Doug’s blue eyes turned darker blue. “I just put you on your ship. I did not know how to help you.”

Der frowned. “You knew to keep us together! I am sure lifting us like that hurt your back. Many traders laughed at you, and at us because in our fright, we clung to each other! Despite that, you risked carrying us to our ship, and in Prov One the Spaceport is deadly without carrying someone! We are very grateful to you. Now you have safe work and that makes me happy.”

“Oh, I had friends who distracted our enemies. When I heard you brought your people here, Irdaktin, I wanted to write a poem to commemorate it. Then Jen told me about Kia.”

Jen smiled. “I’ve had so many awful jobs, but I never got sued! Aren’t you glad to be here where nobody’s jealous and everyone’s nice?” Her brown eyes opened wide like a Zheien’s. Most Earthans don’t do that—yet.

“Oh, I’m very happy to be here!” You just don’t know what I just had happen today. Inside, I laughed.

Ir took Doug’s tri-fingered hand. “Did you decide to be Ishah?”

“I was half-Ishah, but Ket said I’d be healthier as an Ishah. He’s right! My bahie did that, too! George takes good care of us. I wrote a love poem for him and Deci, she’s from Earth, too!” He switched from Elshar to English with a heavy Elshar accent after Jen talked to me. Funny!

I held onto my husband’s hand. How many times did he nearly die, anyway?

Cunigundae dragged that girl Elisabethae to me just as Ir’s parents put a hand on his right ear. They want to spend some family time. “Tell this girl she does not need to hide! I cannot do my work for her.” He left.

She looked down at her feet. Her outfit looked German with embroidered flowers on her red dress and shoes.

“What are you afraid of, Elisabethae? Can I call you Liza?”

Her mind barely touched mine. Ry’nao! I helped—him—damage his Gray Cube Of Knowledge!

I am afraid—

You agreed to help in the Battle Of The Cubes. This is part of that! We have to fix it!

Liza pulled her blue eyes up to mine, full of tears. I will help.

Our Cubes glowed green and I saw Ry’nao. They are still fighting on the ship. His sorrow nearly floored me, that many of our copies are dead and more are dying! He laid in Ket’s lap and the frazzled healer kept feeding him. He’s thinner than he was when we left! While skin had no pink, no hint of the fire engine red it should be.

I felt such despair, I launched into Sempre Fidele a cappela! Angel startled and ran to me to harmonize. Chase and Camila sang, too. People stopped dancing to sing with us. Do they know what I’m doing? Many were Biehshah.

Liza sang, too, but her voice had bells in it. Many harmonies came from her and her Collective. As she sang, she asked Ry’nao’s Collective how we could heal what she did, and people in my Collective got knowledge to heal it! I sang, and Pirad startled as people he was trying to heal got full healing.

Suma came running! She had been sitting by her husband, Ni’olmai who got hurt when they went to help the Imwa. He got healing and ran to us. They sang, too, and yellow energy swirled around our green, hers light and mine, dark! My healing got better!

We healed Ry’nao and every one of people’s otherselves in the battle. Dromie appeared and changed me to heal better! He offered it to Suma but that walrus fella was afraid.

My Collective uses fear. Tell me of your fear!

That being will be the death of your civilization! We trusted him—

I want to fight Rentappenen and my people want to be free! Your people changed your mind about him, too! Dromie shook a gnarled finger at the walrus, who got a shocked expression.

Wally does not trust you, but I think we have common ground here. I will watch what you do. Suma, let him improve you. Give Liza your fear and let him!

Dromie raised his arms and vanished. I felt the difference in my healing. People Pirad hadn’t tried to heal yet in the vast Burial Chambers Of Zhea~ rose and went to their cities, all over Zhea~. Zheien danced and found their loves, their families, and happiness tingled on me!

People all over the Alb System—except for Escet Vu and Elshar Zheiea! Mican laughed. His Black Cube Of War can block healing.

So I kept on and poured it into Ry’nao. He channeled healing down his links and diplomats rose to finish treaties. Elshar’s people in stasis rose. The whole planet that Heden took for slaves came back from stasis of death to fight again! Some of them went to Elshar Mashai to chastise their leaders. Their Council had better intentions when they settled that star system.

Deesamor also woke up and fought with slavers. Their scientists never intended to make all 900,000 Aryllan colonies into monsters. Now they are like Zheien again and their armies are helping worlds of Deesamor, a multi-level place of science like Sigan Mas is for education.

Another multi-level place was Fereshah, which taught healing and diplomacy, and people found old enemies among their worlds, too.

Pinda startled. “Now we have troops to fight Rentappenen’s legions! I woke our ten hubs from Lidara! Marin Mar’s people released Deesamor and Fereshah and Elshar, but you healed them all!”

No one heard him but me. I fell into Ir’s arms and all the music stopped.