All the Biehshah including Garat piled onto our bed. Garat, too? A Zheien healer ran in and carried Mr. Links out. The Areonian lawyer was still asleep. Regina held Lisen and two of them carried them onto our bed, too. She smiled at me.
Our Biehshah were every color in the rainbow, all of them so pastel they were nearly white. Garat, for once, didn’t say anything but slapped his forearm across Ir’s forehead. Der giggled. Garat perched his fingers on top of his head and Der shushed it. I’d seen angry parents do that if a child wouldn’t stop something. Maybe twice in 30 years of our colony! Kids don’t misbehave like Earthan kids do. Then, Garat sighed and put his other forearm across Ir and I to put his wrist on Der’s forehead. His arm trembled.
But, I learned how to just stop thinking about things. I concentrated on Mama singing Amazing Grace. How I missed her! It’s been a lot of years.
Reliving my memories of her just made me grieve. All these years, I just kept busy and made jokes. Now I’ve got a husband. Those years in Rainbow, there was Suma The Rainbow Therapist. She helped me realize that you can’t put off grief forever. What would she think about me killing that Ty’nirrhan? That didn’t happen in the other future!
When Ir came back nearly dead and Der died, he realized that he wasn’t in touch with his griefs, or his loneliness, or anything negative. Der got hurt a lot more often than he did, so he took care of his friend. They went on 3800 years of missions.
My husband and his friend are 3823 years old. When they were born, that was 1800 years before Jesus was born. I never could picture that. Easy to look at my husband’s young face and see someone who’s 32 like me.
“Ir, do Biehshah die?” Of course they do, that’s a stupid question. People died in our colony in Rainbow, though Pirad could usually bring ‘em back—but he couldn’t bring Der back for a couple years.
His sorrow hit me like a brick. “Kia, I saw thousands of us die. Most of my friends, because of missions.”
Garat sighed. “I lost my wife when I was young, and three of my sons. That is when I decided never to leave Leheren. But other family died. Friends died. Nothing I did, all the rules, all the laws, nothing worked. That’s why I thought I could not love again.”
How hard that would be! I never had responsibility—but I did in Rainbow. That fear of not being able to heal someone. We almost lost the entire colony, lots of times, because someone got a minor injury like a skint knee, but they got scared. “I’m sorry, Garat.” I put my forearm on his head, and he held it. I got teary.
“It is the price of having long lifetimes. All of us suffer it. We should work harder and not speak of this. I have work—”
He sat up and I held his arm. “Suma said you can’t hold it in forever. That it’s better to talk things out.”
Garat looked at my hand holding his arm. Then at me. An expression of utter anguish contorted his face. “How to speak of this emptiness, this void! She was so beautiful, she who spoke with softness, the touch that healed me when I came exhausted from arguments, the arms to cool my anger, the—how does one bear it, the grief, the depths of my sorrow?”
I felt rumbles like an earthquake, then a horde of Zheien climbed up on the bed with us! Everyone hugged, then all the twin-fingered people waved up flat cakes of bread. The one next to Garat was the diplomat who helped Earth join first the Alliance, then the Unified, 3 years from now. Ryonne~. Wow!
Garat looked from the platter to Ryonne~ eating it. Then I felt rumbles of his sorrow as he shared a memory with Garat. Who leaned his head against the orange Zheien’s shoulder. I didn’t hear this telepathic conversation, which took place at many times Earthan speed, but I felt his relief, and Garat’s. Zheien do a Remembrance ceremony, and they did in our colony in the other future, too.
“Friends, all who live have sorrows. I have many, and because of your longer lives, you have more. Please, when you have sorrows, let us share them with you. Sharing gives strength, ea?” Ryonne~ had a cake of yellow sparkles on his cheeks. His huge golden eyes looked more yellow with those powdery tears. I felt bad for him. He’s 22? How does someone so young have sorrows like that? But, I was 22 when Mama died. Yeah.
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Ir put a hand on his arm. It wasn’t a Biehshah gesture, but more like I saw Zheien act. “Sharing our sorrows does give us strength. In my colony, I will not forbid any of you from visiting Zheien friends, and Zheien are welcome in my colony. In the future I remember, we took much comfort from it. I learned not to busy myself with work, as Pirad and Kirnonos taught. I think we were happier.”
All the Biehshah around us nodded, except for Garat, who looked very surprised. “You did not die?”
Ir laughed. “No! Our Zheien friends helped us, and Kia kept us from dying. Pirad found ways to help and he brought back most of those who died. I think now that he has Briahh and Greg, he will find more ways. Leader Suan saw my memories, and even he changed his mind about the value of clones and recloning.” Ir smiled.
He went to Leader Suan? That was when the Yeff arrived because Ye~ moved their star system, which includes Areon, to Alb. During their Wedding Festival Adia, his new wife, asked people to come to Earth with them. Ir was one of the people hoping to congratulate them because he served missions with him. When he got at opportunity, Adia showed him his future and he got Der to come, to find me. They were on their respite from missions to get ships from the War. Wow. Love this mindlink we have! Instant communication!
I looked outside and the sun’s still high in the sky.
“Will you be well? I must accompany Ry’nao to the UN for more meetings. My host is yet there and needs me.”
Garat startled. “You are a clone?” His bright blue eyes looked Ryonne~ over.
Ryonne~ smiled and nodded. “There are many of us, for there is much work to prepare Earth. We had to make more of us than at first we thought needed, for slavers arrive in large numbers.” He frowned and it rumbled.
When he and Adia got stranded on Earth, that’s 3 years from now, we didn’t get a lot of slavers for years! What’s different this time? Then, I recognized the house across the ship, outside. That’s where Adia and Eriganh fought intergalactic war! It was all over the news, but not a single blade of grass died. This man had to meet with government officials all over the world, and he looked a lot older. But, he’s the same age. I’m 18 years younger! How does that work?
Garat nodded. “Pirad disagrees with my methods. What do you think? Are you as skilled as your host?”
He frowned. “I am ne an Elder with centuries of learning, as you.”
“Your host survived four years of the most difficult missions in the Thirteen! And you are a very fragile species! Most Unified Diplomats do not last two years and are much older than you. You do not hold a Cube?”
The man turned very orange in the face. “We have ne contact with the Council. Pirad told me ne to discuss.”
Garat thwacked his own left ear and left.
Ryonne~ looked puzzled. “Did I offend him?”
Der laughed. “We do not use that gesture often! He is embarrassed that he mistook you for an Elder.”
Ir’s face turned orange in his cheeks. “My friend, he is. All on this ship are Elders because Molly declared them with the title. Garat knows this. I do believe that he acknowledged that you have greater wisdom than he has! If I am correct, that is very surprising to me! I do not know all gestures of governmental officials, however. Whatever he meant, he did not mean you to find out.” My husband smirked. He opened his brown eyes wider, like Zheien do.
“I am sure he ne meant that.” Ryonne~ stood and straightened his sash. Others moved so he could jump across the bed. “Call on us, if you have need.” He bowed, then left.
Der giggled. “He is such a modest man! To extremes! I’m still in shock that Garat admitted he doesn’t know something!”
“I think our minister is in love.” My husband winked at me.
“Maybe we can help him with her!” I rubbed my hands together.
Ir shook his head. “There is no help for him. I hope he finds his way.” Every one of the Biehshah in our room turned towards the hull looking into the street. Ir shrugged and did the same. “We have a colony to lead.”
I gave my husband a hug. If he has to have this crowd around all the time, when do we ever get any private time? It felt so weird to be married, and no wedding night? Maybe when we get to Ye~. In the other future, it worked out, and Ir didn’t need bed buddies because we had our colony near us. It will work out in this future, too. What about Serena? Can she handle being married to a Biehshah? I didn’t remember her being in our colony. Tricia, who married Pirad, couldn’t talk to her relatives because her telepathy was so strong! Zheien couldn’t help her and neither could we. Tricia also got exposed to Deesamor rogues. Names and faces kept popping into my head.
“Oh, we need to find your relatives, Kia! Shall we port to Mexico?” Ir lifted his hand to get a portal ready.