Ten hugged me. “Be careful. Healing people from stasis is harder than healing them when they are ill. Stasis is very upsetting. We are more aware in stasis than Zheien, though we are maybe more patient. It doesn’t drive us insane. Perhaps, irrational.”


    I felt a bit nervous about this. “Okay. Do you think my usual group healing will do it?”


    “Yes! Your healings are magnificent!”


    For this, I built up my orchestration. Musicians felt something in their telepathy and ported here from the festival. Wow! A real orchestra, but with instruments Earth never heard of. I made the server record it.


    Angel and my false friends showed up. Ir kept Angel on his side, away from them. I swear, if they….


    This time I poured all of my emotion into it, my love for our colony and our friends, my loyalty to Ry’nao, my anger at all that happened, but also forgiveness. Love will make this healing work.


    Since I felt we needed a little happiness, I chose Beethoven’s 9th and Schiller’s Ode To Joy. It will be a joyous occasion if I can bring all our people back!


    I started with the falsetto bass and Ir sang tenor. Oh, his voice thrilled me and made my singing better!


    For once, my friends sang and made an effort to blend. We sounded good!


    But, I felt stasis reverse, for all Biehshah and Bisillips, in Alb and other places! My healing song reached into mines, and animated dry bones. Surprised Biehshah gathered people to fight the slavers. Some came to Biehshah with Suan when he founded it, then vanished on diplomatic missions to establish trade. I heard them asking every question in the <mark>Dipl0matic</mark> Link! Ir answered them all. He sure was glad to know many of his old buddies were now alive!


    This healing went more slowly than any of them. Can’t get impatient now! Some people took a lot more out of me. So many!


    Ten stayed by my side and waved for tray after tray of shakes. I couldn’t drink fast as only an Earthan, but he kept me supplied.


    Finally, the last Biehshah got up and I lost the connection. Ten ran me to our room. Ir held me and I went to sleep.


    Pas held me when I looked up. “Kia, you must ne do this! You woke <mark>Pirad’s</mark> vast storage of clones who ne formed properly! And they live!”


    “I can’t complain about that! More warriors for our army! Oh.” I felt tireder than the time I worked a 26-hour day because two somebodies didn’t come in to work.


    His red-gold eyes filled. “You injured yourself, and ne of us can heal you! Ten can ne, and I can ne.”


    “Maybe if I just sleep a bit longer.” I closed my eyes.


    Ir held me up more. “Cesarae, this will not help you! Ten’s Chambers are filled, and they died!”


    “What?! But I healed everybody!” I sat up. Regretted it.


    Pas wept. “Sometimes healing can ne stay. Their relatives came, and when they died again, many died. Ten can only heal one.”


    “How many are left?” I cried, too.


    On our bed were Der and <mark>Inana</mark>, VW and <mark>Velia</mark>, and Gen and <mark>Noka</mark>. Ten slept in <mark>Der’s</mark> arms. His wife wasn’t here, either. <mark>Narai</mark>, one of our other scientists, sat against VW.


    Oh, I felt terrible! I tried to sing just a little, for them, and it didn’t have any effect but to make ‘em smile a bit. Our poor colony!


    Our Cube holders gathered to try to help, but of course, they couldn’t do anything, either.


    Ryonne~ sat with us. “Friends, I am sorry! Will Remembrance help you?”


    Ir wailed and let him put him on his lap. “There are too many! I spoke with so many dear friends, their voices silenced for years, long years without their thoughts, too many years!” He threw his arm over his eyes.


    “Dear friend, grief is terrible. But we remember them, ea?”The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    With a sigh, Ir nodded. “Yes. As long as we remember them, their souls are happy. I will remember them all.” He hugged both of us.


    Der made everyone get stiflingly close. It did help ‘em.


    “Friends, can you choose one memory to share? I fear is too much, to try to do more today. One memory.” Ryonne~ stroked the back of my husband’s silver hair.


    Ir sighed. “Father once told me, when Mother died, our souls yet hold to one another, even in death. I was small. I kept asking when I would see Mother or hug her again. Finally, when I was old enough, Father took me to our stasis rooms.


    “Holos play when someone comes near. Like you, we rest our loved ones in rooms, but we do not leave them alone. Prog instructors construct likenesses, and the holos interact. Friends come to visit and talk, and tell stories of their best work, or places they visited.


    “We walked in and holos of all our family told their stories. Then we came to Mother’s stasis chamber.


    “Father set me on it and sighed. ‘Mother cannot speak to us, but if you listen to your heart, you can hear her speak to you. Sometimes it takes a long time, but we are a patient people. When you need her wisdom, her memories are here in your mind to give comfort to you. Always remember the love she gave us while she was with us.’


    “Whenever I felt sad, Father took me down there until I felt able to bear life without her.” Ir rubbed an eye and it was wet. “As I did then, I must be patient. If my friends lived once, maybe Pirad can help them live again. Until then, I should remember what they told me as our minds touched.”


    His face looked very sad. “Rentappenen felt them wake up and attacked. But, I felt his fear, so many of them were ready to fight him! He’s weaker, Kia.” Those brown eyes had the weight of the world in them. “Will you be able to keep fighting?”


    “I have to, Ir, we can’t stop now. We’ll rest for a while and keep going. We have our Yeff friends and our Areonian friends, and our people of Ry Pethe here with us.”


    All their faces nodded as they watched us. We’re fewer, but we are strong together.


    Ryonne~ sighed, and it rumbled on us as he let go. “I am very sorry, but we have a visitor. Cevit Ion must interview you about your colony status. We fear there are too few of you now, to sustain yourselves here.


    “An Earthan named Bedelia went to <mark>Pirad’s</mark> Lab, but those who went with her came back to Fhiah without her. They said for us ne to go there. We must remain here, but perhaps you should plan to return to Biehshah. I have a pilot waiting—”


    Ir shook his head. “Dear friend, this is our home. I will not give up on our colony. They are here in your Burial Chambers, not on Biehshah. I will not go.”


    Ryonne~‘s orange eyes snapped open wide! “My friend, all of you will die!”


    Ten startled awake. “My liege, it is true, there are few of us. But I hold a Lens. If I can stay alive, I can sustain us.” He held up a round crystal, like a ball. “Many of the ones Kia woke are in my Collective. They did this so our colony can survive to fight. I think even from stasis, our people will fight!” The ball threw white light like flames on the walls.


    Ryonne~ bowed low and stayed like that. “People of The Padrisa, we shall help all we can.”


    Ten smiled. “They heard you. Dromie changed me so I am your weapon. I am the only one who could stand changing so much, because I am new. Together, we will fight Rentappenen! We are on many worlds. <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people are changing many of us. Kia, don’t be scared. <mark>Mehirsta</mark> <mark>rameirech</mark>! As our fathers gathered to meet Opseh Wenh Cet on Fereshah, we shall gather!”


    I killed the Wenh <mark>Cets</mark>. Greg smiled at me. “Our people of Ry Pethe stand with you.”


    “I am Cunigundae, Host Of Blue Lens Of Secrets. I can hide us until it is time!” That Areonian bowed to us. He pulled at his blond curls at his neck.


    And that girl held his hand. Smiled. “I am Liza, Host Of The Green Cube Of Questions, and I learned to inflict fear on our enemies! I found my courage! You taught me, Kia, and <mark>Cunigu</mark>! Today I will be brave!” She beamed.


    Lots of people had diff attitudes about our battle. It seemed, all of them decided that now there are fewer of us, all of us are needed.


    How much more do we need to do before that last battle?


    Cevit Ion came in with black, black eyes. Sara didn’t look happy, either. His sigh rumbled on everyone. “Ir, Kia, I am most sorry. The Alb Council sends me to begin our inquiry into the health of your colony. Leader Suan is very concerned! We came from his office just now.”


    Ir nodded and motioned him onto the bed. “Please, sit with us. This is all of us now, but for those in our Collectives.”


    He didn’t bow, but climbed up and lifted Sara to sit by us. Pas startled and sang healing on her!


    “Oh, Pas, I’m all right—”


    “Try this leiwege, Lady.” He waved up a very decorated one. I’d only seen white, except the ones Zheien had that were very old.


    She smiled as he bent it around her. “Oh, that’s nice! Ea <mark>yeo</mark>!”


    “I am happy <mark>Uisan</mark> studied with Ahstam. He learned new methods that will please many.” His red-gold eyes studied her.


    Cevit Ion comforted her with his mind, but his eyes didn’t leave us.


    Ten got the memory-sharing stare with him and he paled! Still looked gray. Couldn’t they send someone else?


    After a while, Cevit Ion looked at Ir. “Do you believe that your colony can yet fight, as Ten does?”


    “Yes. Anyone who has doubts can ask Leader Suan if—”


    All our group protested! Der got off the bed and bowed. “I will not leave, and none of us will! We all believe that Ten and Kia will keep the rest of us alive.” His green eyes filled. “I understand your concern, but as leader of Ir’s Council, I believe we can fulfill our duty to Alb and to The Padrisa.”


    Cevit Ion and Sara got off and bowed, so we did. “Then, I shall return to the Alb Council with your words.”


    I grabbed his arm. “Please, don’t leave!”


    We heard the sound of portals in the gardens.