“Deb.”

She rubbed his hand. “Hi.”

“Viad.”

“Oh, let me go get him! Pirad grew him a bit so he’s on solid food. He can eat FFbah now.” She ran out.

Ryee cried and Adia cried. I felt awful! They had to leave their kid to go fight intergalactic war?

But she ran a baby to them. Dark curls, a full head of hair. And he opened blue eyes. Smiled. Maybe Zheien babies smile earlier.

Adia stopped crying.

Ryee groped for Deb’s hand. “O, help me!”

“Here’s his hand—”

“My touch is ne gentle!”

“Just hold still—see, he can grab you!”

“His shoulder!”

She helped him feel of one shoulder, then the other. “See, his shoulders are fine. What?”

“How long before we must lose him? O, Father Of All, help us!”’ His anguished face got me.

“Ryee, he’s healthy.”

“Healthy? But, shoulder or heart—”

Laura held his head. “Buddy, Pirad fixed the Yeff. No more heart defects. No more shoulder defects. Feel that?” She slid her fingers around his right shoulder and pressed.

He opened his orange eyes wide. “Ne pain? You pressed, and I have ne pains? My bae is well?”

He looked at Deb, who nodded. “Yes, Viad is healthy! He’ll live as long as you!”

He pulled her hand up to Adia’s. “Will Ay live?”

“Yes! When she ages some, Pirad can reclone her. You’ll both live long lives. So will your kids!”

“Suma?”

She took his hand. “Hi, Ryee.”

“Is Ni well?”

“Yes. Jarfus seems to understand us even better than Wally—”

“Jarfus?”

That giant white walrus galloped in and clambered onto the bed. His tail-flipper shoved me, but he reached over with his flipper and put me back on my leiwege. “Oh, I’m dreadfully sorry! I guess I’m a bit clumsy when I’m not on ice. I keep overcompensating!”

“You live on ice?” I giggled.

“Mike and I are from Maira! I love the ice, but comfort progs work. I would enjoy sliding on this eaezhfee if the ship weren’t crowded. Someone said Ryee made an ice skating rink! I would love to try it! I can carry many children on my back, if I can learn not to be clumsy.”

“We can do that with progs, Jarfus.” Deb smiled and brought up a prog screen.

Jarfus learned to do it, too, but he did a lot more lines. Deb watched with a smile.

Ryee watched them with a frown.

“What’sa matter, Buddy?”

Ryee sighed. “How long before I recover?” His orange eyes filled.

“You can get up and walk around, it if doesn’t make your head hurt worse. Jo, how long before we leave?”

“We can leave when we wish. Molly, I advise that you go to Goes’ ship before we lift, though.”

“I could go with you and fly back. I think Ben would like that a lot! Want me to go, too, Ryee?”

He tried to grab her hand and she moved it closer. “I—am sorry.”

“Ryee, you got hurt. It’ll get better. Just rest a lot. Okay?”

“We need to go home. Strengthen me? I wish to speak to our team before we lift.”

“Okay.” She touched the back of his head and hummed. “I wish Angel was here. When we get home, I’ll get Mark and Toni to bring her. When she sings, mind pain leaves!”

“I ne wish to cause her pains! She is young for healing—”

“She doesn’t use it! She just sings, and all the Zheien stop having mind pains. She doesn’t get any, and she loves to feel useful! Using her gift makes her feel good. It’s hard for her, ‘cause I learned healing at 12 and Belle can stop seizures at 12, and Belle can’t even use her telepathy without a headache. That’ll get better with practice, but y’know, at 12 you want to do things!”

Suma smiled, big. “Yeah, she’s got no tummy-aches, and no headaches at all since she stopped worrying about trying to excel at something, anything. Now she feels competent.”

“O, I am happy. I wished to speak, but others needed me, and—ea.” He got tears in his orange eyes. How would that feel, to be Ry’nao’s second in command? Or king of even a small colony like his?

“Don’t worry. That’s why we’re around. To tell you the good stuff.”

“Good stuff?” He rubbed an eye.

“When people make progress and they’re happy. That’s what matters. People are happier because the 300 year war is over and they can get back to normal.”

Ryee hugged her. “Molly, I worry for you. Your kingdom is large. Ne forget to have enjoyment.”

“Don’t worry, my friend. I have Suma to tell me, “Hey, time to slow down and smell the roses. So, I take time to do that, every day. Sometimes, it’s a literal rose, or just a walk with Ben, or carving with Sam, or singing with Angel. She’s still giving me voice lessons. I listen better now that I’m 18.” She laughed.

“But, Molly, you are 12. I asked of King Theaspaura when you wished to marry.”

“Azure made me 18. Mom can’t bug me now, though she sure gives enough interviews. I’m glad I have good friends like you and Angel!”

She’s 18, and she was 12? Would I want to do that? But I’m not—I’m just queen of a subcolony. That’s not hard. She has 25 worlds. 25 Rainbows. 24 Earthan Colonies in Alb. There’ll be others. That’s a lot!

At sunset, we ported to the flat top of the saucer-shaped ship and watched the sunset with most of the other Earthans. It was an exciting event for me. For Ir and Der, too, though they didn’t get ‘watching’ a sunset.

“Do moons rise?”

“There’s only one, and there it is.”

I waved up a star chart. But, we didn’t stay long enough for it to get completely dark before we had to go in. I took a holo. Enjoyed the pink skies.

We ported down to the main part.

We all boarded the red-violet ship. Adia and Ryee looked exhausted, but they waved on their formals.

Ryee spoke first. “My friends, we shall go to Fhiah first, then other ships wait to take all of you to your colonies. Our Elshar Zheien, Ranh Estar, and K’hasa Zhan friends shall travel with Cevit Ion on his ship. Our Escet Vuan friends are on V~as Das’ ship. Our MarKuan friends are on Goes’ ship, and he asks all who are of MarKuan Earthan Colony to join them now. I wished to speak with all of you before you left. Molly, please come.”

Molly went to him in the middle of the huge ship. Bowed low, and he returned it.

“I wish to thank you for our healing! Because you taught Pirad much, he was able to wake all of our dead in Burial Chambers! All of Ye~ are grateful to you, and I wish to present you this medallion, which J~oie carved this morning. He is a miracle operative, to produce such fine work on short notice! J~oie, will you give her?”

J~oie waved on his formals and came up. Smiled. Like his ba, he had curls to his collar, but they were auburn and Ryee’s were dark brown. Both brothers had those sunset golden eyes but J~oie had to bend down further to give Molly the carved disk like a giant coin in red-violet, their family color. She’s so short! A coin a foot across! It’s eaezhfee, the same stuff the ship’s made of, with colors they get from heating it.

Beautiful work! It had a portrait of her smiling, and portraits in a ring around her showing Ryee, Adia, J~oie and Laura, then all of their family members including Vonn, Tan and Sara’s and Derees’ kids, the Pedersens, and everyone on the ship! Even Ir and I, Suma, Deb, and Bess, the one who gave the Aryllans magnolia seeds from her yard. They saved all the Aryllan worlds. I’m glad they’re like Zheien again.

“Oh, thanks, J~oie! I will treasure this always!”

“Will you speak, Molly?”

“Of course! I’m sad that we’re all going our separate ways, but I’ll be sure and visit all the colonies often! Thank you all for being my friends! Remember to always rest when you’re tired and see your healer if you don’t feel good, and I’ll be happy! I want to thank my mother, Fern Brown, for becoming a healer helper! Welcome to the crew, Mom!” She startled, and waved to everyone. She’s a holo, too. Most of the Earthans left on the 19th because so many slavers were around. Lots of diplomats are going to Goes’ Ship before we leave because they’ll still have to work here, or to the embassies.

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Everyone on the ship waved their arms, even the Earthans and Elshars!

Ryee rubbed his eyes, and people gasped! Eanne~, his father, motioned to Pas, who carried him, and Mehrna carried Adia to their room. They all expected a long speech. J~oie and Laura went with ‘em. I wondered how bad they were. Amazed that they were able to get up there and Ryee spoke well.

Eanne~ spoke about Ye~ for a while, then the other kings gave speeches of gratitude for working together. Goes went first, and Javin, his Leader Of Council, coordinated all us Earthans in moving to our various groups after he spoke. His wife, Evie looked very happy. Natamian, Planetary Minister and his Earthan wife Genevieve talked to everyone. So did Indoe, Third Prince, and his Earthan wife Liz. She’s a healer.

Each of the fifty colonies of Alb had someone to take all their folks, but most of ‘em stayed in this main room. The ones bound for other worlds stayed on our ship, too. Some of those were moving to Alb. We’d be traveling together to Fhiah to be officially welcomed by King Theaspaura, with a festival! Oh, they combined all the ships flying together into one virtual space.

So, we get to see Alb Seer, then fly home to Ye~. I felt tired, but we can nap on this ship.

Suma, Deb, Liz, Evie and Genevieve sat with us with their husbands. Maybe I won’t nap yet.

Suma hugged Neal. Their walrus friend went around talking to people. Everyone acted like that’s normal. I found it amusing.

“Oh, Wally made himself look like that because Molly thought he looked like a walrus, so she pictured a cartoon she saw as a kid. That’s where the top hat and jacket came from. Jarfuses are a real animal on Thorde, but they’re actually an intelligent race sent there to observe Thorde. Wally left him to observe and he went back where he came from.

“But, I’m just glad it’s over! Neal and I can be healers in Ye~ and just do normal stuff. Besides living with a talking jarfus!”

I laughed. “And Ir and I have big plans for our Biehshah Colony. That’s what we did in the other future. Anyone who isn’t happy on Biehshah can come to our colony! No more 20 year long courtships!”

Then we had to do a lot of explaining. Tan Links, that lawyer, joined in. He fixed my legal mess. They repaired all that water damage, and the bowling alley made a fortune when a trader offered to trade the mess with stories of how things got ruined. They even traded the dirty water! Randy would’ve gone to jail, but by the time his court date came, they had progs for inmates so they couldn’t commit crimes. The creep got rich trading his story of revenge and how he got caught, all in acted-out holos. He even made holos of what jail is like and traded ‘em. Now why couldn’t he have done that on YouTube instead of trying to get me in trouble? Revenge is stupid.

Deb smiled at her parents. “I’ll be delivering babies, Greg and Briahh’ll be helping Pirad, and my parents will write progs. My grandparents are learning healing with Pas while Adia and Ryee are taking a nap. My granddaddy’s a doctor and my grandmother was a cook, but she always wanted to go to med school. Now she can work with Granddaddy!”

Genevieve laughed. “I was in school doing graduate chemistry and had classes with Briahh and Greg. Nat is Planetary Minister, which means we’ll travel all over MarKu, and I can do research on the Science Council as we travel! It’ll be a great opportunity to study MarKu’s wildlife!”

“O, I will enjoy your company as we travel, dear wife.” He put his arm around her.

“Well, I’m Liz, and I’m a healer. I’ll be working in Rainbow MarKu.”

Indoe laughed. “And, my dear, modest wife declines to mention that she convinced Esteerrians and Zbbat to give up slavery—“

“Oh, the diplomats did that! Ryee and Adia’s clones did that!”

“By showing King Lyyyrah of Esteerr how you ran to King Tch’lanterserah and spoke in Zbbat to try to distract them—”

“Because you told me what to say—”

“After you practiced with King Eanne~ to learn of them because I had a mission to Esteerr! You saved the Yeff, in the other future. She showed King Lyyyrah this, and he remembered how he decided against slavery. If nae for you, he did nae.”

Wow! I’d never be brave enough to run up to a Zbbat, unless it’s Molly’s Zbbat clone! They can fry 20 Zheien at once, and they were doing it? She wanted to catch ‘em before they reached the Earthan Colony, so Earthans could escape.

Evie sighed. “All I ever did was find a recipe to make pumpkin pies out of the blue pumpkins on MarKu. And, Shannon and that lady cook helped me do it. That hasn’t happened yet.”

“Dear wife, your ideas are already prospering MarKu! I showed our Science Council, and here is your pumpkin pie!” He waved up servings for all of us. Blue pumpkin pie! And, it’s delicious. “Only you could find a use for a weed that grows all over MarKu! And, you contributed many ideas for garbage refining in the UN, also!”

Soon, we landed, but we didn’t see Ryee or Adia at the festival. J~oie and Laura talked to the royalty. We found a corral and they let us ride dorna all over the festival. Ir found he could direct his to do dance steps, and he danced on her back. Oh, we laughed!

Der had his walk upright and dance. Dorna can easily do this in light gravity.

Ten just rode but enjoyed our antics.

We watched so many demonstrations of fascinating things, like how to make festival pastries, but I was just plain too tired.

Ten carried me when I got tired of riding, and Der carried Ir.

We ported high about Fhai and the Barrens. Rainbow is there, but just seven solid color buildings in a circle. No Earthan Colony, playground, the area where people had Perpetual Snow. Although we did stand on the Rainbow Bridge, a rainbow walkway over a creek made of eaezhfee like ships.

After about an hour, our ship to Ye~ was ready to leave.

This one was smaller. J~oie stood with Laura at his side. “My people, we go home. Ne worry for Ryonne~ and Adia. They are unwell, but with time, perhaps they have more healing. There are many of us in our family to share the Reign. On our arrival you hear King W~Via, who shall speak to us.”

We sat with Suma and Neal, Deb and her family, Greg, Briahh and Constance, who held a cute baby, Roger and Judy, programmers, and Tan Links. And, Jarfus.

“You’re Areonian, right? Do you know Fio Min Re Sar and Ig Ora Pan Ab?” Deb and Greg watched him.

He waved up a screen. “Oh, Fiomin Resar and Igora Panab! They were in the hospital. I tried very hard to get them out. When I left Ye~, Pas had to keep them in Rainbow Ye~.”

“Why were they in the hospital? Are they okay?”

Tan’s lips quivered.

“Are you close to them?”

“My dear—” His voice broke. “The hospital on Areon was a place of—experimentation. An enemy put my wife and I there, before we married. Pas healed us, all of us, but we are not as we were.” He frowned at his quivering hand.

Deb took it and rubbed it. “I’m sorry. Want me to look at your file and see if I can help this?”

He shook harder. “Healing—is difficult for us.”

Greg took his other hand. “I was afraid of healers. When we lived on Areon, things changed. Emotion Detectors. I can remember when we could laugh, or cry, and no one thought anything. But they put devices outside workplaces that fussed if you did that. Then, they shocked us. After a time, simulants came and took us to be interrogated.” He shivered.

“I didn’t know they did that to you! Oh, Greg!”

“Then, you know what it is like! Healers told us, stop begging people to take you out! I will sedate you!”

Deb gasped. “They forced herbs on you? None of our healers would ever do that!”

“I fear it!” He cried.

J~oie came over. “Tan, be calm, my friend. If you ne wish herbs, we will ne. But, there are helpful ones. Les nort is a mild herb that barely affects—”

“You are Zheien and I am—clumsy.”

“My friend, we can use a containment. Ne this fear. Wish you for me to show you choices?”

“They—invaded—my mind while using Kajarian weapons on me. It is hard on Zheien to see things like that!”

“You can show me. I can handle it.” Deb rubbed his arm and his hand.

“I fear, and my telepathy hurts. I cannot control. I should be able to control it! My poor Lili!”

I slid over there. “I’m very sorry I hurt you! I couldn’t control my telepathy before Pirad recloned me. It was too strong, but it has to be to heal Biehshah. Pirad gave me control, so I can, now, but I still can’t touch—well, I’m scared I can’t touch gently. I can listen and keep it out of people’s minds.”

He held my hand. “I—Pirad helped me. He stopped when I had fear. I needed healing, so I am not sorry you hurt me. I am sorry I did not come back. I should have. I meant—”

“It’s all right. It’s been crazy, on Earth. Can Pirad help you? Or, Suma? She helped a lot of people in Rainbow. I went to her a lot and realized a lot of times I messed things up on the job was just me not noticing people who might not have good intentions. I assumed things were my fault and tried to fix ‘em and just made it worse.”

“I am very frustrated that I was not able to do much for anyone I tried to help.”

“You got Kisu out of jail! He was dying!” Deb smiled.

“I am happy that worked. But, so many young ones in horrible homes! I wish they could all have Zheien homes with love. Gierdre is still in her home, and her father—he cannot criticize, but he is there and she tenses.”

“Gierdre died saving Gedda Dier—” Suma looked sad.

“That was her Xchou-Ty’nirrhan clone, not her. She’s—” Molly stopped at Tan’s horrified look.

“They sent a child, to that place?” Tan cried.

J~oie sighed. “If she had not gone there, Rentappenen would have destroyed our entire tech level, and three levels above us. What choice did Ry’nao have? When he knows how many died, I fear for him.”

“I understand. It is a fearful place, that we depend on children to do this work. Molly is older, but her mind is 12. Belle is 12, and she can stop seizures that no other healer of any age can. But I cannot bear to see people having them. So many times, they tied people to the bett and I was sedated. I could still hear.”

J~oie put him on his lap. “Rest, my friend. It is safe here and on my world. Progs run to protect you and Lili. And, you have Vonn and Sara and Derees.”

“I miss Vonn. He helps us a lot. We offered our home several times. Young Azure wanted to come, but she died.”

“She had clones—” Suma stopped at Deb’s look.

“They all died in Antarctica in Pirad’s Lab. He made one clone, but she went to—what’s that place?” She waved. “Oh. Minaria. I wish they’d move it to Alb!” Molly frowned.

“That is where part of our people went. King Ea~ reigns over Ye~ Minaria. We have diplomats there, whom I can ask. Tan, can I do anything for you?”

“My liege, there is no comfort. Memories torture us. I think it is so for all of us from the hospital in Eicken. Pirad has help for us, when we can overcome our fear of his treatments. I worry that I am trained, and perhaps, I will do something terrible, like hurt Lili.”

“Our progs prevent that! Ne this fear.”

“I remember Fiomin. He came to me. He worked in Fuels. Co-workers upset him. There was an accident in his lab, and I went to him in the hospital. He begged me to see to his wife and children. I went to their deciplex. Security took the children to the school and his wife to the hospital. I filed forms many times and no one would act. Our government was always slow in legal matters.

“Finally, I checked your ages. You were not children. The forms were falsified. I realized you could not be in the school, that they must have sent you to Academie Praetoria.

“I got a permit and went there. Found you three enrolled. But, when I went to your advisors, they said you were with Healer Ufir. So I went there. He said this, he said that, but I could not convince the man to find you.

“When I went back to Areon, I went to Lili. I told her we must somehow leave. But, Citsa found us together and we woke in the hospital. Oh, I am sorry. I could not get your parents out. I could not help you.” He sobbed.

Greg hugged him, and J~oie, too. “You tried! I hoped, for so long, that someone would look for us. And, you knew my parents. They are in Bremen Ye~. We spoke to them. They want to see us. Teach us how to speak, so they will like us.” He trembled.

“Oh, you are polite. This is all. In Bremen, there are many like us, who either had time in the hospital, or with DF, or slavery. All we wish is a kind voice, and friends.”

Sika and John, and Greg and Briahh, all wanted to be friends.

So did Roger and Judy. But Judy took Tan’s hand. “Did you know us, in Areon? How did you find Greg, Briahh and Sika’s parents?”

“I did not find them. Greg named them.”

Greg smiled at me. “Kia helped me. Maybe she can help you. It doesn’t hurt any more, to remember.”

Sika gasped. “It does not? Please, help me!”

I ended up healing all of them, Briahh, Sika, Roger, and Judy.

Then Roger and Judy remembered names. On Areon.

Tan looked them up. “Oh, Liam Gelb. His wife died, and he remarried, Nell. He had Roger and Judy, ship techs who died at 16 in a ship explosion, while they tested it. And, you look like them! Oh, he will be so happy that you live! He is Queen Adia’s uncle on her mother’s side. We are landing!”