We ported onto the ship. J~oie waited, in a white diplomat’s uniform. “Laura!” He held a hen and bitties in shaking hands. Her favorite plant, a succulent that’s white with purple.
“Jo, Darlin’, you oughta sit down!” She pulled at auburn waves about the shade of his curls to his collar.
His golden eyes opened very wide. I felt their minds link, right there, and I made ‘em even. Usually it takes a bunch of folks at a Wedding Festival to do that.
A graceful wave of his hand and her red-violet scrubs turned into a beautiful white satin wedding dress! She held a huge bouquet. The hen and bitties sat on top. I stifled a grin! No flowers, just rubbery leaves in circles. It looked really strange.
Vonn came running. Tan and Lili stood there, all of them in red-violet formals. All of J~oie and Ryee’s little siblings lined up in a row. A little girl with red-gold eyes walked slowly spreading rose petals. A little boy about Ryee’s age held a red-violet pillow with the rings.
J~oie knelt, and his father held him up! Crouched so he had one leg behind. Held his head up. “Laura Sherri Martin, Nurse Of Earth, I love you! I, J~oie, First Prince Of Ye~, I wish--” He turned white.
“Mention the Ancient Protocols--” His parents and Ryee looked scared. J~oie has a bad heart! Healthy Zheien can die when they get upset!
“By the Ancient Protocols of Zhea~ and Ye~ Zheien Colony, I--”
“Mention Fulton County and Atlanta--
“By the Ancient Protocols of Earth, North America, The United States of America, State of Georgia, Fulton County, and City of Atlanta, I, J~oie, wish to marry Laura!” He fainted!
She gasped. “Server, J~oie is unwell! I, Laura Sherri Martin, Nurse Of Earth want to marry J~oie, First Prince Of Ye~! Please, record it!”
“I cannot record--”
“My ba is very unwell! Server, I am Ryonne~, King Of Ye~, and I wish this Petition Of Marriage Without Courtship to be recorded.” He paled.
“Petition recorded on Ye~.”
“Stupid servers!” Laura cried.
Pas carried her to a copy of her bedroom, but with J~oie’s beautiful 9-posted nine-sided bed instead of her lumpy second-hand mattress. She felt very happy with it. Pas waved up J~oie’s steep leiwege and put her in it. Like a mini-bendable mattress.
Ryee laid J~oie in Laura’s arms. “I beg, Sa, ne Earthan practices--”
“I won’t!”
We all ran out. Music like a bell choir made us all look around. Not all of us. I helped J~oie keep it to themselves. Too much excitement for him to do that for long. Poor Ryee’s face was orange, so I hugged him. “It’s okay. Healers listen for that so they know a couple’s all right. Your ba is fine, Ryee. We have progs to get Pirad for him if he needed it. See?
We both saw Pirad at work in his lab. He had a smug smile on his face, and I giggled.
Laura checked out the food and I heard her amazement! Lots more variety than we ever had in Rainbow! And, she waved up FFbah for J~oie. She’s got a timer running for when her supper break’s over. He’s asleep, but she can layer ‘em on his chest so he won’t lose weight. Aandats make it possible for him to get the nutrition.
Ryee wasn’t expecting Laura to come during her work hours. She could just send a holo, ‘cause her work’s done for her shift! I heard her asking Mr. Links about that. He said that holos are legal as long as you’re willing to port back if there’s something the server can’t imitate.
Wished I didn’t hear everything! But, Deb has the same problem. She became Rainbow’s midwife, but she learned how to heal Greg and Briahh, and there are over 50 of the half-Ty’nirrhans on the ship now? And, Kesi. All these Earthans with Gifts! I met ‘em over a period of maybe 20-30 years, but diplomats are finding ‘em now—many of ‘em because Pirad listened to my memories of Rainbow.
I noticed one of my clones helping the five ladies get married I knew! Elsie, who became a great healer for me, married Sanderdin, Diplomat Of MarKu. Her four roommates married people, too. Kerry, married Jonamias, Diplomat Of K'hasa Zha, who really wasn’t able to work and they became singers in Rainbow. She’s good at Irish music. Her dad married Vera, an Earthan doctor who was a slave for a while.
Genevieve married Natamian, Rainbow’s most injured living MarKuan. He’s planning to still work as Planetary Minister? But, maybe progs can help them stay safe. His work involves riding animals for long travels from prov to prov. And Zheien can get hurt from that. Goes spoke to ‘em about it. Science Council of MarKu is looking at the problem, as are many other worlds like Ea~ and Vasye, who also do that. Now they can port to cut most of the distance because tech’s not limited. They did something called the Nefcot Ring to supply energy to the entire 13 galaxies from our Milky Way?
Farrah married Jop, a Thordes DS Team Leader, and his entire Team found ladies. They’ll marry tomorrow, and I saw it! I guess I really can see futures like Adia!
And, Nellie married Jonnev, Kenneph’s ba. He’s still on Rhaech. Ry’nao sent clones of several people who are here on the ship to help him. Cornelia and Marc sent clones because Marc went to Rhaech to help him, in the other future. Gierdre’s Xchou-Ty’nirrhan clone went to save Gedda Dier.
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Gierdre’s father’s clone—this mission got him his title with Ry’nao, he’ll get killed because he’ll have Rentappenen’s blood on him! Oh, my! I touched Ry’nao’s mind and let him see.
Ry’nao went white! Ket ran for him! His clone’s giving a speech at the UN right now!
People stepped back, fast. I looked up, and in the middle of the ship was Azure. Another Councillor! She can time travel!
I ran to her. She looked scared! In her hand was a cube. That’s what makes her able to time-travel, with a thought! Maybe she doesn’t know about it, yet. She shook so bad, maybe she’s about to pass out. Her sweat dripped off her arms. Red pigtails had sweat dripping, too, and her chin.
“Oh, Azure! Hi, I’m Molly.”
“Molly. Is Ry’nao here? I—need to know what’s going on!” She shook so hard, her teeth chattered! Outside, it’s late afternoon. If I don’t get back by six—but does that matter?
He came out of a room with a tapestry of him and a lady his age. He bowed to her, one leg behind him, like a ballet dancer. “I am Ry’nao, Emperor Of The Seven Unified Galaxies. Why are you here?” It kind of shocked me to see our emperor bowing to someone who’s teenaged!
She tried to bow but did a curtsy. “I-I don’t know! This man, Serenappenen, gave me this cube and told me he’d tell me what to do, to ask for you. Should I give it to you?” I held it out.
He frowned. “I cannot take it, for I would die. No one can touch it except for you.”
“Serenappenen did!”
“Yes, but surely he created it. This Cube is tied to your genetics. It has the power to create or destroy worlds.”
I trembled.
“Worlds? Why me?”
Adia and Ryee came out of a room next to his. She had beautiful red waves that curled on her shoulders. Azure had deep red hair. And her eyes, brilliant blue, not like Azure’s green. Thin, like her. She shook so hard, I was worried, but scared to touch her.
Then, words in another voice came out of Azure. “This girl is untrained. We will fight Serenappenen. She is not allowed to interfere with you and Eriganh. We block Serenappenen and Rentappenen from you. He planned to take the White Cube, but we know that is impossible. This Rainbow Cube is weak, but it can change your history.”
That voice was like a bunch of people talking at once! Her voice, small and weak. “He called it the Cube Of Many Colors.”
“The Cube Of Many Colors created this one, and Serenappenen wants to contaminate your timeline. Our Collective is at war, but we control it, for a short time. Stay on this ship and do not use this Cube.
“If you think to bring back your dead family, you will change your home’s timeline! This, you must not do. Our purpose is to keep you here on this ship. There must be no interference with Adia, none with Eriganh. Their battle, in the yard you just left, ends our war.” The Cube went dark.
Memories came to Azure of another future.
I made Pirad create a son for me to marry, Pier. We traveled to many worlds, and tried many timelines, but none was better than this one, that Adia is in, right now. I died because of the strain of all that time travel, and because my genetics is tied to a room of a thousand people somewhere on Earth. My Collective is right, I am Earth’s Councillor, and I’m supposed to save it from slavers. Eriganh is flooding it with slavers as we speak.
And, Ry’nao heard all of it. “What should I do?” She sobbed. I don’t want to be holding this Cube in my hand.
“Child, let me share memories with you, of the Council, what I know of our future. Put the Cube in your pocket. You don’t have to hold it. I will not tell a Councillor what to do. But, the more you know, this will help you decide what to do. Your Collective cannot tell you how to work.”
“Can’t I just give it to someone else? I don’t want it! I’m schizophrenic, I’m crazy, and I--”
“Let me bring a healer for you. Will Pas please you?”
Pas already stood beside me, and he held out his twin-fingered hands.
She gently took one. “C-can you fix me so I think better?”
“Oh, I will try, Maiden. Have you pains?”
“This shaking hurts, but that’s just a side effect of my meds.”
“May I look at your medical records? We scanned everyone from Earth. Sit here, please.”
She nodded. He waved up a padded bench the same color as her pink T-shirt, if it wasn’t faded. Her blue jeans had holes at the knees, and dried blood.
Her medical records came up and he read ‘em while she watched. Nodded. “We have better herbs than these. May I touch your head? I will be gentle.”
His mind was also very gentle. Explained what he wanted to do. Unlike rude Serenappenen, he’s afraid of hurting me.
Ry’nao sat on her other side. I heard the war going on in that Collective. People shouted at each other.
But, Adia has one, too. She asked them to listen to each other, and love one another. Azure showed them. The ones who took control of the Rainbow Cube weren’t supposed to do that. All of them talked to each other, politely now, like Pas did. I heard all this and shook all over, too!
Pas trembled as he moved his fingers back on her head. “What happened here?” She had a scar on top.
“Mama got mad because I wouldn’t go get her drugs, and she hit me with a frying pan. I woke up in the hospital. Aunt Kandace took me to her house, but got tired of my social worker. Mama’s social worker let me stay.”
The old fella wept. “Had you many injuries such?” Poor Azure!
“Oh, I was always falling and getting hurt, or Mama hit. You can’t be more stupid once you’re stupid, she said. I’m clumsy and I fall a lot.”
“She was wrong, Daughter. Each injury harmed your mind. I wish to give you an aandat. You will need nae rest rooms, will never catch a virus, and you gain telepathy in 2 or 3 days. She is like ‘living underwear’, as Molly says.”
“I got mine this morning, Azure.” I pulled up my yellow T-shirt sleeve and she saw white, like a second skin. She nodded.
Pas waved for a green cube and white fell out of it onto her ankles. Flowed up to her neck. Pas hummed and she didn’t get scared. Her knees healed and I felt her delight! I waved and she wore a green T-shirt, long-sleeved, and her jeans were light blue, as I heard her wishing. She smiled.