But I still had that feeling. Ray startled awake!

Theas sprang up from his bow and hugged me. “What is wrong?”

“Apologies, my liege! I have to go!” I ported in there.

Deb and Greg ran in here, too. She finished with Vonne. Was it too fast, Ket?

He’s singing healing on Vonne. She’ll sleep.

“Don’t move. Adia and Ryee are okay, and they don’t remember what happened. I saw it all. Don’t think. Adia’s Collective is all scared, so I brought Pirad’s mind to ‘em. Hope is powerful.” She’s been asleep since—oh, my.

“Ry’nao said we shouldn’t talk to each other or to them.” Deb shuddered.

Ray blushed. “I did, when I first got my telepathy, before I realized I shouldn’t! They contacted me! Pirad says he can hide it. Wish I could talk to Eriganh’s! Pirad warned me.”

“Those poor people—on Titan!” I sobbed. Memories flooded me of Eriganh’s anger, and Titan exploded! All our slaves died, including Jog Sa and his family! There were ScSv research teams with Ishah on ships in orbit—but Azure reversed it all. It didn’t happen, except Ray traded for Snafanas’ slaves that ended up in my Hades Building, and she healed ‘em all. I lost a healer in that building and couldn’t send anyone except my Zbbat--

“They’re okay! They don’t remember it--”

“I know, but I do. Gotta calm down.” I took a deep breath. Too emotional for my own good!

Ray held me. “Honey, you’re only 12. Even if Azure made you 18, your memories are still 12.”

“My body’s 18. Why can’t I make my mind listen to it?” I felt too cold to shiver. But Azure swapped my timeline with that other healer! Is my mind still 12? I just felt overwhelmed!

“Molly, recloning is designed to keep your basic personality and traits. Wait a min.” Ray looked at Deb.

Deb shook all over. “What’s wrong? I know Adia and Ryonne~ got sick today. I’m worried. She’s pregnant, but neither of them knows yet. He had a full-blown seizure, and Belle stopped it. Greg heard—that madman. I’m trying—not to think—I haven’t got any training, like a diplomat--” Her brown eyes filled.

“Another baby? Wally gave them Viad this morning, but he wanted W~Via. I wonder if this one’s him!” Ray got a thoughtful look.

“I do, because my husband does, and he can’t help me!” I cried and hugged them, too. “His telepathy’s so good, when Eap went to Sigan Mas, they both got training from Ad Beni, Fifth Year training. They both could be galactic ministers from the amount of time Ad Beni spent with ‘em and their capabilites. I can use Ben’s skill, and he trained me, so if he’s sleeping, I can still do it. Not enough. Even Ry’nao can’t help me stay outa Pirad’s mind!” Ben stroked my head and set the comfort prog hotter in the blanket he put around me. Did she say Adia’s pregnant? And she has to fight Eriganh? Oh, Pirad has Viad in stasis. He can grow him. Maybe he can do that for this one, too.

Deb sighed. “Greg still has Ty’nirrhan telepathy. He hears what you hear, Molly, and lots more. He hears what—all three maniacs hear and forgets all of it. But when he hears it, I hear it, and what the Imwa are talking about to other people. Ni’olmai, they’re interested in him. Gave him a yellow cube, but Rentappenen keeps him from using it. Should I tell Ry’nao?” She held Greg’s hand. He frowned. When she forced a smile, he relaxed.

“Tell Pirad. Maybe he can help you.” Ray asked him to come.

He clicked his face into a scowl! “You should not discuss this!”

Deb got really upset! “How can I stop listening? Eriganh knows where Adia’s Collective is, on Areon!”

Pirad fell on the bed! “Can he reach them?”

“No! The Imwa stopped him, so he tried to destroy Titan at 5:55 pm! Greg got all of Ry Pethe to beg the Imwa to let Ni’olmai help Adia, and they refused! They want Suma to have their help. She has to ask for it.” That’s what I felt when I was in that bubble with all the chaos!

Ry’nao staggered in. Ket dragged him onto the bed and Ishmarel held him. Ishmarel, First Prince Of Zheiea! “Ish, ne think. We fight for our lives here! You can ne help.” Ray tried to get up and so did I, but he put his pale arms around all of us. “Pirad, are you ill?” Ry’nao’s pink! Shaking.

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He put a hand on Ry’nao’s gray curls. All of what we said, and our thoughts about it, he heard all.

Deb waved up a blue-green milkshake and poured it down Pirad! All at once. Expected him to cough, or the bed to be full of it. She didn’t spill a drop. Oh, jargusmilk! They made that in Rainbow. Bisillips have to have several servings a day and it tastes horrible. But jargusmilk has a milkshake in it and they love it! I enjoyed the smell, sweet and minty.

He sat up with a surprised smile. “Deb, thank you. Ry’nao, I will do what you think is best.”

“Can you shield us? I wish to speak with Suma.”

Suma and Ni’olmai heard us through the Diplomatic Link.

When Ry’nao explained, she looked sick! Her brown eyes studied him. “Wh-what do the Imwa want? Jarfus is here! I-f you want me to help A-Adia, I w-will.”

“You cannot help Adia. Her husband must, because she cannot use the White Cube without his love to power it. No, I would like you to ask the Imwa to protect Adia’s Collective on Areon. I think this is allowed. The Council has rules. They are a member. They represent thousands of species.”

Suma tried not to sob. “Adia a-asked them n-not to hurt Neal. They a-greed. B-But he got h-hurt!”

“Suma, I am a diplomat. My work is dangerous. But, if we can save thirteen galaxies, that is bigger than our lives.” He shook all over. His tears dripped on her arm. Even diplomats get scared. “I made a mistake. Adia spoke to them, and I tried to add a comment. They were not expecting me to speak to them. An accident. Now I am trying to avert a war! Oh, Suma, I cannot help you.”

“But, I don’t know their language!”

Neal laughed. “I do not! I tried to open my mind to them, so they could see how I felt, and they did not know how to look without injuring me!” He got serious. His eyes turned black. “How can you speak to them? Earthans are more fragile than an Elshar!”

Ry’nao met his gaze. “I do not think a Zbbat could speak to one without injury. Perhaps they learned from you. Suma, the terminal you wear, may provide safe communication. Ni’olmai gave it to you. Now it had time to acclimate to both your systems. There is little that I know of them.” The Emperor sighed.

Her necklace glowed. Those brown eyes opened very wide.

All of us looked up and froze. An animal, like a walrus, a yellow walrus with one flipper and one eye on that side, stared at us. The other side was just fat. It wailed, a sad sound.

“H-hello.” Suma spoke, and it stopped. “Will you protect Adia’s Collective?”

We will, because you did not demand it, because you did not ask for wealth. I hear your concern for peoples you do not know. You want your husband to heal people. We ask that he leave diplomatic work and become a healer. Molly, we want you to establish Rainbow Colonies more than on Alb. We will provide worlds. Will you provide clones? I nodded with a smile! They can have all the clones of me they want!

Pirad, we will give you Gifts for them. Rentappenen wants to hurt. We want to heal. Wally convinced all of us. Jarfus offered help from his people. We accept.

He got a smug expression and folded his arms.

Ray, you healed our people. Because of your gift, we will send healers to Alb. Areon will not like our healers. We will send them to another world. When you have the Red, use it to make a world. We will then come.

Ray nodded.

Ry’nao, this is allowed. Pirad can make clones of an acceptable form, and we will protect Ray’s Collective.

He tried to lift his head to nod, and Pirad held it down!

We cannot protect Azure’s Collective. Rentappenen knows where Seranappenen put it, and it is compromised. She uses her strength early. Tell her to come to us. We will not let him take her--

I wept. When Azure meets Rentappenen, she will die trying to warn Ray. On Elshar Zheiea, in front of her Collective!

But, I saw where it is now. Not on Kajar, Eriganh’s home planet. On Soskanna. And a terrorist group, tunneling into their biome storage, where their planet’s server is, deep underground, just found it. A building of red cubes without an opening. They think it’s the Royal Family of Deinarjg, Leaders Of Fonosa’s secret weapon to destroy the Minark! Minark and Fonosa are ethnic groups of Imwa with their own governments, living together on the same lands.

I saw Ni’olmai’s memory of going there, in that other future, and slavers posing as diplomats knew where Imwa territory was, and threw him down a hill in the middle of a hunting group! They posed as primitives, this group that didn’t agree to rise to the level of the Council. Their leader, the one with the yellowish fur, was the one Suma asked for help.

I gasped. “They’re there now!” Groups broke into the chamber and that’s where Suma and Neal have been negotiating with Soskannans and Minark! Now all of them see the building of red cubes! Eriganh’s Collective can’t do anything about it, though.

Ray got slaves from Snafanas this afternoon. All of us are struggling not to think about it. The slaves that filled my Hades Building are now on a world Pirad made for ‘em and it has a Rainbow Colony. Ray healed ‘em all today, but she and Asha have been sleeping. They have a million Ishah from the 7th who came to Alb.

Memories came like a flood, and none of us could stop! Eriganh got mad and tried to destroy Titan. Ray stopped him. Eriganh destroyed half of his Collective trying to destroy Titan, and Azure stopped it all. He hurt himself with his temper tantrum.

I shuddered. Tried not to think, but Deb and Ray heard. Azure’s not in Antarctica any more? Pirad’s Lab there is destroyed! Where’s her Collective?

I didn’t have any answers for ‘em.