Ir noticed people gathering around a table with baskets. “Cesarae, there are delights on that table. Want to celebrate our wedding?” He changed my jeans to my beautiful wedding gown. I smiled. “How about just a dress?”

He waved an emerald green ball gown on me and danced me off the huge bed. Lisen waved a hot pink one on Regina, who smiled.

I expected Ten to fuss, but he came with us. “I wish I had a lady friend.”

Der put a hand on his shoulder, and he startled. “Oh, all these Zheien are affecting me! What should I do, Ten?”

Our healer laughed and his blonde curls waved. “It is not only Zheien, but 3 of us are in love! Think of when we first came to Biehshah! All of us worked so we did not think! The first thousand years were very difficult, but not as much as when Fhiah came. Istensimah horseae! But their trade, and their friends’ trade saved our colony from starvation, when many of us thought to go back to Bisillipia. A few did, and died on the journey.” He looked sad. “I will take Zheien over Bisillipia. Their foreign customs will not hurt you, Der. When we have our colony and our customs, as we did in Jujujean Rainbow, we will all be fine.” He smiled at Der, who brightened up, and Ir.

My husband led me dancing through the portal and Zheien who watched us tingled on us. Everyone loves lovers, as Adelle said. We weren’t the only ones dancing. Several Thordes had instruments like a wind quartet and played waltzes I’d heard. My tummy rumbled. That reminded me of my corn dog disaster. “Oh, Ir, I broke the compressor in my refrigerator in my apartment!”

“I fixed it. That’s what husbands are supposed to do, aren’t they?” A wave, and he twirled me to a stop by the refreshments.

Things I hadn’t seen since I was a kid floated in front of me. Daddy came over with a smile. “Oh, you have pictures you took of Maria. I don’t have any of those.”

I waved copies to him. For a while I had his old instant camera and took pictures. The toilet overflowed and I had my photo albums laid out on the floor because I was rearranging them and they all got ruined. How I cried! Now I have ‘em all back! “Thank you, Ir!”

“Feeling your happiness is all I want, Dear.” He kissed my forehead.

“Have you tried these pastries? How do you tell which is which? I got a really hot one! You know I love spicy but this was like that stuff I tried in that contest once.” My father grabbed his stomach.

“Oh, yes, you had to go to the hospital!” Camila grabbed his arm. But they laughed. Several Zheien were looking for healers, but stopped when they saw Daddy wasn’t sick. I gotta warn them.

Theapet and Kerjie came over. “I can show you how they taste, if you like.” Several Zheien did low bows so he had to stop and return ‘em. Kerjie tried not to grin.

An older lady came over and tried to bow, but a Zheien stopped her. “Lady, if there is pain, nae bow!”

“But my daughter’s the First Princess and I have to learn a bunch of stuff!” She looked exasperated.

Theapet took her arm. “Mea, I nae expect you to learn all in a day! Kerjie learned well of us, but many Earthans have difficulty with our protocols. Nae fear to offend me. I feel your respect. Today is the happiest of days, for I have my love beside me.”

All the Biehshah smiled huge smiles at Ir and Lisen, whose pinkish-purple face got purple as a Thordes. A yellow man with bright blue eyes stood by him. On his other side was Regina, who had dark curls to her collar and blue eyes. His were deeper blue but almost the same shade as hers. They held hands, but he trembled. “Regina, did you have enough pastries?”

“I don’t want to eat too many. You didn’t have one, Love.”

“I will eat one—”

The yellow one held his wrist. “Li, you can lose more telepathy. I cannot heal you if you lose any more, and I do not think Pirad can.”

“But, Regina wants me to eat, and I want her to eat more—”

Regina grabbed his hand. “You don’t have to! I didn’t know it would hurt you!”

“I have to teach you about us. I am Tanamar, and I am Lisen’s healer. We only drink things, and water is like your junk food. But I am moving my house to Ye~ and all of my patients want to come. Minister Zed approved it—”

“Minister Zed taught me to eat with people.” Lisen smiled.

“If you think much about that, you will be ill! You are a trader now. Traders do not have to eat with people. Drink this. Tenadu is a great healer, and he even made penarat taste good!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Lisen made a face. “Penarat smells like what Regina cleans her windows with! I want to taste something she drinks.”

I saw a lot of this in our colony. Former diplomats who got brain damage and were Excluded because they couldn’t follow the customs. “My son, I am your governess. Please, do as your healer says. If he thinks you need penarat, you should drink it.”

His blue eyes had a blank stare. “Yes. You are Elshar and I should do what you say.”

Oh, my! But Tanamar just poured the blue-green stuff down him, followed by several other drinks. Regina looked worried.

But Lisen smiled. “Oh, I feel better. Thank you, Governess!” He bowed, but kept his eyes down.

That’s not how people bow in the Alliance. Slavers punish people for keeping their eyes up. “You can look at me while you bow. We are equals.”

“Equals?” He looked up, but trembled harder. “You will not hit me if I look at you?” He glanced at Ir, who put an arm on his forehead. But, he watched me.

“We don’t hit people in our colony. All of us are equals there, right, Ir?”

My husband smiled. “People are free in our colony to do as they wish, as long as no one harms another. I made simple rules like Queen Molly made in Rainbow.”

Lisen smiled, big. “Queen Molly taught me her rules. I liked them. Regina, can I get anything for you?” He shook harder.

“Now that you and I had something to eat, let’s go lie down for a while. Think some friends would come with us?” She didn’t look tired, but worried.

“I wanted to—if you wanted—people are dancing!” He looked very sad.

Tanamar pulled at his arm. “Rest now, and you can dance later, my friend. I want to heal you a little more. Pirad will come. Did you ask him if he wanted some of your flowers?”

He smiled and waved up a bouquet for delighted Regina. “These are for you, my love! They are almost as beautiful as you.” Lisen recited poetry as they walked. Regina started for the room with their picture and a background of a pretty place with a village and farms. Ir told me that’s Biehshah. Lisen is from a small farming prov called Kehnaren. They don’t have a lot of rules there, and Lisen was their only diplomat. An Elshar thought it would be funny to get him drunk, but it hurt him, and now he’s a trader. Some of them hurt Zheien that way, too. Stupid way to lose your job from someone mean.

Tanamar got Regina to come with them into our room and half the Biehshah went with ‘em.

Eating something would hurt your telepathy, Ir?

There are things we can do to prevent that, but if Lisen was impaired, he might forget to protect himself. Elshars like to have fostok. If they uncap it, just the smell relaxes them. That doesn’t affect us, but if a Zheien or Thordes is there, it affects them, and then we are affected. My husband shuddered.

Then I got scared. Will we have to go on missions, Ir?

No. Leader Suan said the Alb Council decided, any diplomat who becomes a colony leader will not go on missions. I have clones who agreed to do that and all of them have my skills.

I hugged my husband and struggled not to cry, from sheer relief! Then, several of the diplomats shared how things tasted. Thordes and Zheien can share with us without hurting themselves, but we can’t, unless we use the Diplomatic Link. Ir helped me show them what a cream-filled and a custard-filled doughnut tasted like, with various toppings. But I tasted one and a warning came up. It was a Mexican pastry with jalapenos in it. Zheien bite something and share. A Thordes didn’t get a warning so I passed it to him. Not a fan of spicy or savory sweets. She loved it! But she had to walk around to find another Thordes who could eat that one. He passed it to an Elshar after his taste.

We ate and danced and ate some more. But I found someone wrote progs like we had in Rainbow, and I could activate them mentally while Ir and I danced. One was a gradual weight-loss thing to make what I ate have less calories. Eat what you want, but sugar gets replaced with echtu, a Zheien grain that tastes sweet. That makes it less calories, but I like it better. Other Zheien or even Thordes foods can sub for fats without changing the taste. Love this tech!

The ship had diplomats, traders, scientists, and even artisans who made things to trade. While we danced, I looked through my possessions, which Ir got from my apartment. We even simulated a visit to my apartment manager to let her know I was leaving. I had a month-to-month because in three months, she had a tenant moving in. There wasn’t anything affordable and I ended up in a roommate situation. Kathey and Ophelia. Boy, I’m glad I don’t have to live with them! Most of the people I went to school with seemed nice, but I either worked for or with 6 of the meanest—

“Hey, Kia!” I dreaded seeing him, but I turned around. “Listen, I’m really sorry I flooded Charlie’s Lanes. Your diplomat got me out of hot water! Can I live in your colony, and will you give me a job?”

Ir glared at Randy. What a lotta nerve! “I am governor of Biehshah Ye~, and no, you may not live there or work there. You are only interested in wealth and power, so you befriend anyone with either.”

Eanne~ strode over. “Normally, we welcome Earthans, but since I know of your situation—”

“Hey, I was apologizin’! I play lead guitar and my buddies think I’m pretty good! Zheien like music, don’t they?”

He frowned, and it rumbled on me. “You practiced dishonesty and sued Kia. She is interested in saving lives. I cannot speak for other Zheien colonies but you are ne welcome in mine.”

An Elshar came over. “If you are willing to change your ways, you may live in Earth Samar Thaae. But you must agree to run these monitoring progs.” Siasch taught a lot of people to trade in Rainbow. We traded a lot with him.

Then, Pat, Kathey, and Carla came over. I just wanted to leave! They all wanted singing jobs in Earth Ye~. Eanne~ turned them all down, so they talked to Siasch, who let them all go there.

How far away is Samar Thaae from Ye~?

Four minutes, but do you know about the abuse prog? If you wish not to see them, this is how Eanne~ stopped Garat from interfering with our wedding.

He showed me and I set it so I wouldn’t see them and they couldn’t see where I was. Hooray! Living near an honorable Elshar or maybe Zheien and Thordes might change them, but I didn’t want to be around for it. Unfortunately, since my husband’s a diplomat, we don’t get a break from Garat if he’s in a bad mood.