“Ron, you are the most caring man I've ever known! You listen to me. You're not jealous of me. I can't tell you how many times I've dated someone, and they spend the entire meal staring at my chest or trying to feel me up in the car! Or pumping me for ideas.

“You keep your eyes on my face, or my hands. We talk to each other. I love you, Ron. It's all right that you don't know what job you're going to do. If it's not trading, that's okay with me. I want you to be happy. In Rainbow, you were miserable trying to trade, losing trade, getting awful headaches! Your father hurt you! I wouldn't want to be him on Judgment Day!” She kept rubbing his hands. He’s really pale! Her dad doesn’t look happy, and he sees that.

“Will you let me bring Pirad? I promise, you won't forget your romance with him in Rainbow. Vonne, I want you to be able to finish your thesis. With tech, it’ll go fast, and you can have clones. Maybe one’ll want to work on Earth.”

She nodded, and I brought him. Vonne didn't hesitate. She grabbed his hand and put it on Ron's head. “Is Ron okay? Can you help him not to be scared to marry me?”

Pirad's orange pupils flew apart! “I do not wish to frighten Ron! I will not interfere with his thinking—”

“That's not what I meant—he's scared. You have herbs that can help him be calm, not like slaver herbs!”

Ron trembled. Ket just gave his herbs with progs.

“Ron fears herbs because his father forced them on him often. I—”

But Ron looked up at him. “Pas said herbs are not evil. In the hands of a gentle healer, they are healing. I believe Pas. G-Give me an herb so I can be calm, but think. You helped Doug.”

He got the smugface. “If you trust me, I can give you another herb. I will not harm you.”

“I believe you, Pirad.”

Pirad waved up a green leaf. “Eat this, and I can help you more.”

Ron took it from Pirad's double-jointed hand and ate it. Smiled. His eyes turned light. “I do feel better. Please, help my maiden.” He moved Pirad's hand to Vonne. I touched his mind and asked him to make her an Elder. They both got younger! I waved an aandat on her.

Her telepathy woke up. They got the telepathy stare, and I heard it all. He took away all of her fear of wasps since she saw those awful memories and taught her ways to deal with the aggressive, angry, huge wasps they bred on Bisillipia, which Piradonya imported. Gave her the ability to tame them through his terminals. He’s the one who developed them to make them usable and trainable.

Their minds linked. Ron was very interested in animals and plants back home on Elshar Deisha. Asked Pirad to give him skills that a biologist would have. So he got skills with wasp-taming and rare, hard to care for animals that were timid, as well. A white flash, and he was gone!

Ron waved a creamy-white wedding dress on her, high-necked and old-fashioned looking. Pearls all over it. He wore a cobalt blue tux with a frilly cream-colored shirt like in the movie Amadeus. LaVonne sat up and admired it.

Ben brought Fa and Mea, and De'sai brought Doug and Ni and their families. Her mother gasped. “That's your granny Pruitt's gown! And Ron, that looks like my father's suit when they married! But their house burned down and we lost it.” Both of them heard all the memories and approved of Ron. Her dad looked happy now.

Ron knelt on the bed. De’sai held him up. His eyes opened wide and turned even lighter, despite the way he shook all over. “LaVonne Michelle Ronald, of Earth, I love you. I, Ronmai of Elshar Heizgha, Leader Of Rainbow Elshar Council, by the ancient protocols of Zhea~, ask you to join me in courtship. LaVonne Michelle Ronald, will you marry me?”

“Yes! I’ll marry you, Ron. I, LaVonne Michelle Ronald, Scientist of Earth, I love you, Ronmai of Elshar Heizgha, Leader Of Rainbow Elshar Council.”

De’sai leaned close to his ear. “My son, you meant to recite courtship, eae?” His dark blue eyes opened very wide, and he stroked Ron’s blonde curls.

Ron blinked. “I want to marry Vonne, Bin! Her last name has mine in it. Her first name rhymes with mine. We’re meant for each other, if what the Thordes say is true. I wonder, our feet, are they the same size? Take your shoe off your right foot, Vonne!”

They did, and Ron put his foot on hers. She had enormous feet for a woman. Same size foot. Vonne giggled. “I’m happy we don’t have to be engaged for six months! You just did what I wanted, in my heart!” Waved, and the Wedding March played!

De’sai smiled. “If you both are happy, I am happy.”

Her parents laughed. “Have fun, kids!” I heard her mother’s loud thought that she thought her serious daughter would never marry! They both felt Ron’s good for her. They saw Vonne’s memories of how he treated her. Now Vonne’ll leave Earth. They already decided they liked Ye~.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Ron picked her up and ran out. “Now, I’ll carry you across the threshold!”

Vonne giggled. “You’re so romantic!”

The Wedding March played again as he slowly marched in time. Stumbled a couple times, but kept smiling. Ket looked worried, but he let him do it. Their doorway was off this room. Progs have a containment around ‘em.

But Ron got her to the bed and fell asleep. She giggled and ported them back where they were, beside Doug. Ket checked him and relaxed. He woke up and smiled at her.

Doug’s father waved and held a beautiful necklace out to Vonne! “Oh, I am happy for you, Bahie!”

“De’sai, Ket says maybe I can trade—” He shook all over.

De’sai hugged him. “You saved Doug’s life many times! Let me do this, Bahie. You are Doug’s best friend, and in friendship, you are my bahie. Let me?”

He giggled. “Fahie! Esta ay ay, I will let you!” Ron took the necklace and gently lifted it to Vonne’s neck. It wrapped around and stayed.

She admired the stones, in many shapes, but all like diamonds, except they shone rainbows on the orange walls! “This is beautiful!”

“Sahie, I am happy you like them!”

Ron fell asleep again.

Pirad appeared at Vonne’s feet. “I made you both 16 to compensate for Ron’s injuries. Now I will bring Deb to help you share memories of your life, LaVonne, for clones. Ron already did this.”

Ron tried to sit up, but Ket held him on his lap. “I’ll hold you, Ron. You have to sleep now.” Ket held out his hand, and a display showed to him in Elshar.

Ron frowned, but he shook his head. “Vonne might need me!”

Ket chuckled. “If she does, I’ll wake you.” With a wave, he sedated Ron again for the night.

De'sai put himself between Ron and Doug, a hand on each blond head. “Can’t I hold him, Ket?”

“Can you send healing?” Ket looked exasperated. Kept dark eyes.

“But Pirad healed him!”

Pirad sighed, and his lips did the fan thing with a quick buzz. “I cannot heal all his damage, he would not survive it! Ket can heal him until he tires, then heal him again. It is gradual, but as long as you keep him from upsets, he will improve. Recloning him saved him for Ket.”

Pirad looked at Vonne’s parents. “I am sorry I frighten you. You are now Elders, and if you like, I can make you younger.”

Vonne’s mother smiled at her father. “Younger? That’s not scary! Let’s do this!”

Her father laughed. “Okay!” They followed Pirad through the wall into his lab on this ship.

After they left, Vonne looked at Ket. “What did he mean, ‘keep him from upsets’?

Ket’s eyes lightened to a serious blue from black. Hugged Ron. “His heart has damage from a lot of things. His father’s slaver herbs. Poisons that blow in winds on Elshar Mashai and Gowa. Pirad can heal it, but it’s gradual. I can help him with discomforts. But if he gets hurt, even a skint knee, I have to call Pirad to heal it.”

Deb came in and sat behind Ron and Vonne’s leiwege. Vonne put her head on Ron’s shoulder with a sigh. Didn’t move as Deb pressed that purple cylinder against her forehead. It burned like a hot poker when I had to do it. She’s helping Vonne share memories of her life fast.

Jen hugged Doug. “That’s why Pirad has to come? Okay. Molly, can you do anything? You helped Ron.” Her brown eyes had her desperate look.

“I can try.” I put my hand on his head. Ow! His chest hurts, his head hurts, he’s in miserable shape! That’s what Pirad was upset about. All his healing came undone. So he made him fully Ishah. That’s what he has to do with any mixed person, usually. Doug looked Elshar, but he was about 3 fifths Ishah. Now he’s Ishah with a bigger, stronger heart and bigger blood vessels, and absorptive chambers to get more nitrogen and oxygen into his tissues. All that helps with the heart damage. But more nerves means a lot more pain. I looked over his points carefully.

“How do I give him a massage without bruising him?” Jen’s worries flooded me.

I showed her telepathically how hard she can hug and how much pressure to use on his arms and legs. Ket showed her new herbs. Held a nesfa leaf under his nose. “Ishah get better just from smelling a leaf of nesfa. He’s still recovering from having terminals removed. Pirad healed a lot of that, so he just needs not to walk around much for a day or two.”

“Can we run untoxic on ‘im?”

“I didn’t think it would do so much for Ron, but look at his color! I think you should.” Ket smiled. His eyes didn’t go lighter.

I ran it, and sang healing while it ran. Wonderful changes! He was already sedated, so I helped untoxic run faster.

Finally, it finished, and he relaxed more.

Ket reached a hand to his head. “Hae! He won’t hurt as badly when he wakes.”

Jen smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. “That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

Goe gave a speech about the Titan slaves and asked all the Earthans to help ‘em. Yes! They’ll want me to talk about my rules. A lot of these Earthans are here because someone in their family adopted a former slave.

Pas came to me. “Molly, Earth found Pondaiash and Cam Ta. Will you see them? They married earlier today, and both are well. We may visit with them now.”

But another set of my clones came. “Let us do this. I know you’re eager to see Jog Sa, and other former slaves, right?”

“Yeah! Thanks, Sis, Bro!” This set’ll stay in Rainbow MarKu so I can port to other Rainbows when needed. I’ll have lots of help, if I can just let ‘em do it.

They smiled and went with MarKu Pas. Ket held Ron so Vonne could keep herself next to him, on his left. Doug was on their right, in De’sai’s arms. Jen also held onto him. I hoped Suma and Neal could come back before he wakes up.