Ir frowned at J~oie. “My friend, Pirad does not share much of his work with us. Most of our recent interactions consist of ‘You should not think of that!’”
I laughed. But Ir was serious.
“Then, how shall we know if he needs help?” His golden eyes filled.
“I think we will know through people with Cubes. Kia, do you feel him?”
For a moment, I tried. Shook my head. “Since we came here, I can’t. Not him, or Kirnonos, or Taredias. One of ‘em’s usually listening to me to warn me not to think, because I asked them to do that.” Now that I was listening for them, I heard everyone else in the room, like reflections in a big pond. Seeing myself through their eyes startled me. My silver hair was the exact same shade as Ir’s, but both of us had a slight glow. My eyes weren’t just blue, but a very bright blue that also glowed. Even my deep pink skin did!
Seems like I’d notice that. Maybe I just can’t handle <mark>bein</mark>’ an alien.
Or <mark>hearin</mark>’ all these people’s stray thoughts. The ones who didn’t get relatives back. Some were adamant their people had to be alive. Others were out in the garden by themselves crying because they believed they died.
I felt terrible! “Ir, what can we do for our people?”
Before he could answer, Dromie popped in! “My people found your missing people!”
“Great! Where are they?”
He described <mark>Rentappenen’s</mark> process for shipping people in stasis. His people were locating ships and porting them to his exile planet deep underground. It isn’t in Alb?
J~oie listened carefully. “Can you ne bring them to Alb?”
“Our people are exiled, so we can’t.”
A man came over. “Is my wife still alive?”
Dromie spread his arms out wide. “They are in stasis. Your wife is on my planet.”
“Bring her here!”
“I can’t! My people are exiled—”
“You’re here! I think you’re lying. You didn’t find any of them!”
J~oie held his hands up. “Please, Friends, be calm. Perhaps when the War ends—”
“All you people talk about a war, but we haven’t seen any evidence of it! I—” His face got a shocked expression. One of his Collective showed him fighting on a world not far from Earth, but the other direction from Alb.
“My friend, this is ne like fighting as you know it, where two countries have a dispute and use weapons in a small area. This war involves all of a world, with troops from many, for short periods. Ne can fight but on one world then another. Intergalactic war is ne like war between star systems, which is the kind of war our level knows. War, and shortages required, are local.
“<mark>Areon’s</mark> government restricted trade and they had many shortages. Our traders had ne many, because they found markets and traveled far to supply us. This happened because Zheien value helping above profit. Other species wish profit, such as Elshars and Areonians, and they had much more hardships than we.”
The man frowned at him. “Yeah, and you’re royalty! Common people have to work for what they get!”
J~oie showed him telepathically a world with a yellow sky and yellow desert. Kids had to be wrapped up like mummies so the dirt didn’t touch them. People lived in stone cubes with one doorway and one square window, covered with a tarp. A dust storm came and people had to stay inside. Dust still got in their houses so they all had to wrap up.
“Here is Elshar <mark>Mashai</mark>. Elshar <mark>Mashai</mark> Zheien Colony had shortages and many hardships. This is the home of King Challet. He and his sons and their wives and his grandson Wen and his wife and all of their children lived in cubes such as all his people did.”
“You can’t tell me that royalty lived that way, sleeping on straw beds like that!” The view showed all of them huddled together on the straw. Each had a blanket but they shivered. <mark>Challet’s</mark> grandson cried.
“So they did. A Zheien king ne rules the way you think. If his people suffers, he also suffers, for he is father to them, not ruler.
“They lived on a world Elshars colonized first. These new colonists suffered much, and they had to live very simply. When they traded, they used tech, but sparingly because five worlds had to share one sun for their energy needs.
“When diplomats arranged for a Zheien colony, the Zheien agreed to live as the Elshars did. King Challet led their colony there and they adapted. Many Zheien had marriages to Elshars, and so the Elshar Zheien came to be. Their skins changed from orange as me, to yellow. Many of them suffered poor health from environs on Elshar <mark>Mashai</mark>. Their lifetimes grew much shorter, from 200 years to little over 100.” J~oie sighed, and it rumbled on us.6+This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Hostility grew because Elshars saw that Zheien trade was greater than theirs. Most farms were Elshar and many refused to trade food to Elshar Zheien. The Elshar Zheien colony held half of Elshar <mark>Mashai</mark>. This half of their world had little water and only one prov had farms, <mark>Marenalay</mark>.
“People had to travel far on dorna when Elshar <mark>Mashai</mark> decided ne to allow porting. Fuel became scarce so traders could use ships for far provs, but those nearest to Prov One and Prov Nine had to ride a dorna for hours to reach a market, for foods. Some learned to ride <mark>ferrisnae</mark>, which are much faster, but they needed healers on their return, for travel is very harsh.”
Dromie watched all this with wide blue eyes. “What is a dorna?”
J~oie waved, and one stood in the room with us. “Here is <mark>Shalau</mark>, my dorna. You may touch her. She enjoys being petted.”
This animal looked the size of a donkey, but with thicker legs and a very cow-like face, all gray with dark ears. Her eyes turned light when Dromie touched her nose. “Oh, she is soft! I never saw animals.”
“A <mark>ferrisna</mark> is larger. Laura says they look like white horses. Their eyes are also blue, and lighten when they are happy. I would bring one, but they are rare. Zhea~ exported most of theirs to Elshar Zheiea, and they have few offspring.”
“Like this?” Dromie lifted a hand and a horse the size of the dorna appeared. It gave a startled whinny, but it had a horn on its head! The white fur shone rainbows in the light.
The Zheien startled. “She is ne a <mark>ferrisna</mark>. They are larger. Where did you get her?”
Dromie spoke a foreign language. J~oie looked shocked! “Will they miss her?”
“She was lonely. All her people died.”
A man in a purple uniform ported in and reached a hand to her. She backed away, toward a group of Earthans.
Pamela got up slowly from her chair and put a hand on her back. “Easy there. We won’t hurt you.”
She whipped her head around and stared at the <mark>teen</mark> with dark eyes. Looked at the hand petting her. They got a bit lighter.
“I won’t hurt you. I love animals.” Her brown eyes opened wide. This was the <mark>teen</mark> who brought her parents back.
The Zheien waved and a white aandat appeared at her feet and flowed up. She whimpered. Dromie had one that was white against his green skin at his neck. He wore a green tunic and pants like Zheien wear.
“That’s to help you stay healthy. It won’t hurt. I was a little scared when I got mine, too.”
“Oh, okay.” It had a very high-pitched, fluttery voice. “I was scared, but better now. It has words.” She watched as the white flowed up her back legs. “Oh, all of you have words! First Prince J~oie. I will serve you.” She bowed to him with her paws like a cat-stretch.
J~oie bowed. “Welcome to us! I am most sorry about your people.”
“I am not! They liked to make war, and used me to carry weapons. If I must, I will carry them for you.” She gave a very human, drawn out sigh!
The prince hugged her neck. “We ne make war. You may live here in peace. My friend Oesha will help you find foods.”
Dromie waved and plants floated to the tall Zheien. “Here are all the plants I could find from her world. There are not many, but she was eating them.”
<mark>Oesha’s</mark> blue eyes widened. “Such amounts! These are similar to many crops on Zheien worlds.”
“Oh, you are a scientist? I am Bponas, and I know much about this. The scientist who displeased our general did foods research. He was the last of our kinds who knew it. His superior killed him for doing this, and inside, I laughed. They were foolish people. I miss Kerponie, who named me for his mother. He did not like war.”
Dromie put a hand on her upper leg. “I can bring him back.” A wave, but nothing happened. He looked very dismayed!
That man laughed. “And you said you could bring our people back! That’s just proof you can’t, you liar!”
J~oie frowned, and we didn’t hear anything else he said to Dromie.
The goblin got teary. “You are kind to me.”
The prince waved for a white cloth and wiped his eyes. “We cannot succeed in everything we do. I am happy our people are safe, even if we cannot bring them here. Wslarc is my Councillor. When I can, I speak with him concerning your people.”
“You will? Ryonne~ said he could not!”
J~oie smiled. “My ba does not have a means to speak with him, but I do, because of my Cube. We all have different Gifts, you see.”
“I can make your Gift better, if you want me to!”
He looked a bit unsure about that.
“He made me better, and I like it.” I smiled.
J~oie nodded. “Then, I accept your gift. Ea <mark>yeo</mark>, my friend!”
Dromie nodded, and J~oie got darker orange skin.
Oesha grabbed his arm, but smiled. “O, you seem stronger, J~oie, are you?”
“Ea, I feel more health! Pas will be very happy!” He giggled.
Dromie laughed. “I’m happy when I can help people. I have to leave to lead the war now.”
Bponas startled. “But you said there wasn’t war!”
J~oie sighed and it rumbled on us. “We do not fight as you remember. This is a war of Cubes. All of us in this room have them.”
She bowed again and her eyes turned black. “I am loyal to you. If you knew I had a Lens, would you let me live?”
Ir startled. J~oie did, too, but harder. “Which Lens do you have?”
“It belonged to Kerponie. He gave me his mother’s genetics, so I can use it for him. I—” She trembled harder.
A man—but he had four legs and four arms—appeared with Bponas. Spoke in a foreign language.
The unicorn talked to him and shook.
He petted her head. “Now I know your language. First Prince J~oie.” He bowed with all four legs bent.
J~oie bowed to him. “How shall I call you?”
“Kerponie, King Of <mark>Hy</mark>. Bponas tells me my people died, but they brought destruction wherever they traveled. I disagreed, and they killed me for it. My messenger to the Guaspesi was Bponas, but they intercepted her. I tried to send my research to Kaswpas. Did they get it?” He looked at Dromie. “What species are you?”
His green skin went pale. “We are a new species. I think you are our father, because Kaswpas made us from his weapons.”