I checked on the six former slaves my family adopted in that other future. Ron’s here on the ship! He came running when I let the server know I wanted to see him. Ron cried. “Molly, Pirad couldn't fix me! Doug's Ryee's Poet, and I can't even—trade!”
“Listen up. You were my number one healer helper. You enjoyed it. Trading's not everything. What happened here?” I slid a hand in front of his left ear. His right, too? Rubbed 'em.
“I had terminals.” Doug had ‘em, too, and Pirad helped them at lunchtime. I saw what happened. More. I saw what was in all their terminals! Shivered.
Ket came over. “You shouldn't be out of bed, Ron!” After Pirad healed 'im? He picked him up, and I followed ‘em to Doug’s room. Doug and Jen were taking a nap. Suma had a worried look, and so did Neal.
“Let me see if I can do something, Ket.” I waved up his healer file and studied it. Saw some stuff. “I want to run untoxic on you.” How? It’s not written yet!
Suma waved up a prog screen. She knows how to do that? Wow! Had it written, and I saw other familiar progs, except better. She wrote the birth control prog I’d been using! She smiled.
I showed it to Ron.
“Will it hurt? I'm such a coward!”
“You're not a coward, my friend. You saved so many of Ry'nao's diplomats, he said he had no finer operative on Gowa!”
“And I let the Yeff take me away! I should go back—”
“No. Stay with Doug. But Pirad could clone you. Maybe one of 'em would want to continue your work. He can give 'im telepathy of a Zbbat, and skills to help him last there.”
“Oh, he did. I forgot. Clones of Doug and Ni went with him. Molly, can you help me remember things?” He kept the black eyes. His skin’s not the sunny yellow it should be.
I sighed. Looked over his points. Still a lot of damage. Wanted to kill his father, but Ih Esta did already! I felt better.
“Ronmai went to Ih Esta?”
He cried. “He is dead! I should not be glad, but I am!”
Ket frowned. “This upset is not good for his heart!”
I saw his points again and saw a lot I could do. He was upset anyway. Now I saw a lot more of it because he was upset! “Ron, he will never beat you again. It's all right now.”
“Molly, Adia said he came to Rainbow and hurt me there!”
“No! His entire council went to that fella in white. A diplomat went there, and he saw all of it. Operatives got him out, with Pirad's help. Cet Schlopalotop is also dead, Girfir, Mehnopt, and Heden—”
Ron laughed! “Oh, I'll sleep well tonight!”
Now, I sang and healed a lot of stuff. Ket startled and sang with me. His hair was all blond curls like my husband's, from Pirad's healing, but they were a shade lighter!
Ket stared at it. Petted it. “Hae! Ron!”
Then, I ran untoxic. Elshars get heart problems from exposure to the dust on Elshar Mashai. His father lived there for years, building his crooked pirate empire. Ron was a teen then. Finally, he got on the Council of Gowa, then led it. Made Ron pick up slaves. Beat him when important ones weren’t on the manifest. He helped lots escape, because Doug taught him how.
They lived on Gowa until Adia asked Ryee to send a diplomat for him. Because she saw his future, he didn't go to Ih Esta, which would have given him devastating injuries, like when I knew him.
Untoxic is awful. It feels like you're suffocating, and it hurts. But Greg made an herb to help Elshars sleep through it. Ket used it on him with a wave. I smiled. He still got very pale. After it finished, that sunny yellow color came back in his skin. He's Elshar. Mashai are pink like me. Heizghans like Doug and Ni, also pink. But Ron's mother was Deishan, and they are yellow-skinned. Like a school bus. And they get persecuted because Mashai are racist as they come!
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I saw him again. Wonderful changes! Maybe he can trade again, now!
Looked up, sobbing! “Ron, what’s wrong?”
“Adia saw—my wife! I’m not fit to be anyone’s husband!”
I hummed, and he calmed down. “My friend, you will be the best healer helper in Rainbow, if you want to be, or you can trade for me in Rainbow, or be governor of whichever Rainbow or Earthan or Elshar Colony you want. You’ll be able to support a wife. Remember how happy you and Vonne were when you got married? She came to me a lot to get me to tell you that you were the best husband she could have! You didn’t think you were a good husband, but she did.
“Vonne often told me how she wished she met when you were younger. Well, you both’re 20 years younger!” I had the computer do the math so he could see that in Elshar. His eyes went light.
“My clone and Ben’s—they’re already with ‘em. Vonne and her parents are learning about worlds in Alb right now. She’s brilliant, and I want to recruit her for Rainbow! A chemist and a biologist, and she’ll want to learn healing, too? Yes!”
Ron cried harder. “I’m not smart!”
I giggled. “I’m not nearly as smart as Ben, but he still loves me. Adia’s the Matchmaker. I sure wish that talent would rub off on me.”
“You had it before we met, Molly.” Adia showed me many times I brought couples together in Rainbow. She smiled, but her orange skin had yellow sparkles. I touched her shoulder and hummed them away. She and Ryee were sitting with Neal and Suma.
Then one diplomat motioned to my Ben. A diplomat’s work is never done!
Ry'nao noticed how much better Ron was! Through the Diplomatic Link, I saw him trying to stay awake watching boring arguments in the Security Council and answering with chat. Inside, he danced around! Ported one of his pins to me. It was beautiful, silvery, yet golden, like a pearl with moving waves of diff colors. This is a pin of Angell that they give a healer who uses a skill they do not know. Once, I had an operative there. She infiltrated a mine in Moro on Ishah. Before she died, she saved a thousand of my men in two weeks. I had this pin for 300 years. Touch it when you need strength.
Thanks, 'Ao! I'll treasure this forever!
I waved the new pin beside my Diplomat’s Challenge Pin on my sash.
But Ket finished looking over Ron's points. How did you do this? I think he can trade again!
Can you test me now? I have the Diplomatic Link!
Rest a week, then I will test you. Oh, your telepathy is strong, but you have to practice with it like you did as a child.
I showed him how I had to get used to healing people again. He listened. Those blue eyes turned very light! Being able to trade is vital to an Elshar's self-esteem. They helped make the Alliance what it is today. If an Elshar can't trade, no matter what his occupation, he doesn't feel like an Elshar. A lot of 'em kill themselves. I hugged Ron! He sighed and put his head on my shoulder. I mentally wrote a containment to take some of his weight so I could hold him longer.
Doug had a nightmare, and Ryee held him. “My friend, is safe.”
“Oh, we’re on your ship! Thanks, Ryee!”
Kate brought a basket of pastries, so we all shared some. They all had faves in it.
Ron looked at a holo of his mother. She’s sleeping. He sighed.
Doug added his hand. “I miss my mahie, too. We got her back, but she has to sleep tonight. Ron’s mahie, too.”
“She’ll be better when you go home to Ye~.”
His eyes turned very light. “She will? Will she be sick, Molly?”
“She’ll need a lot of love, but she’s not dying. Ket can help her.” Then, I gasped! “Etkar had business on Moehsa.” Doug’s creepy stepfather who put terminals in him as a boy!
Berto came in, fast. “Moehsa? Are you sure, Molly?” Cassandra was with him.
“Yeah! A ship full of high-level Zheien slaves in the Spaceport for Mirado--”
“Mirado just went to Ih Esta! Who has his holdings?”
“Kirin Fah.”
“Kirin Fah?” Berto laughed and ran towards a room. “I have to contact him!”
“He’s going to ask Kirin Fah to send slaves to Rainbow! Yes!” I got off the bed and did a victory dance. Cassandra went out, and I followed her, still doing the victory dance.
People just stared at me. “Well, slavers need to learn to send their slaves to Rainbow Unwell Colonies in Alb. They’ll get fivetrade apiece for ‘em, even dead ones, and Tessite. Once they’re traded, we’ll deduct trade for injuries, so they better follow my instructions.” Then I realized that was my deal when I was queen of one Rainbow colony. But, in my link, Theaspaura confirmed it. Molly, I agreed to this in the Council Of Alb this morning. Eae, we can do this. Pirad found 20 worlds with great stores of Tessite to finance this, and he can bring more as needed. Mining is automated. Moehsa was one of the worst slaver experimentation places we knew. Without their Esteerrian and Zbbat—and Aryllan—slavers, it’ll stay liberated!
And several of those Elshar diplomats over there got light eyes. They’re asking their operatives if it’s true, and they’re saying yes! Making plans to trade with Rainbow! All the Alb worlds agreed to my instructions, and it’s in the treaty for future worlds, too! Yes!