We got up. By this time, I was really tired, but we followed everyone out.


    Tan waved up Greg’s parents, and Roger’s.


    <mark>Liam</mark> <mark>Gelb</mark> saw Roger and Judy, and he grabbed Nell’s arm. “Nell! Roger! Judy! My children come!”


    <mark>Toras</mark>, his healer, was Yeff. “O, I am happy! Let me carry you! <mark>Netalta</mark>, <mark>Sian</mark>, will you carry the others?”


    Nell laughed. “I can walk, to see our children!”


    “If you conserve your energy, you will last longer before you must rest.”


    She sighed. “Oh, all right!”


    <mark>Sian</mark>, the lady, carried little <mark>Lianna</mark>. “Oh, I so wished for sisters and brothers! Are they little, like me?”


    We ported into Bremen. It was a little German village, but the wood of the houses looked plastic. It had beautiful carvings with colorful paints that matched the flowers that grew everywhere in lavender sand.


    Roger shook all over. “Father. I am sorry we stayed away. S-slavers—”


    “Slavers! Come to me, both of you! Oh, I prayed for this day that you came back to me! My children!”


    Judy hugged him, too. “Y-you’re not angry?”


    He kissed her forehead. “<mark>Nein</mark>, I never was angry with you! Roger, you always obeyed me. I knew you would come back when you could!”


    <mark>Lianna</mark> hugged them, too. “I wished for little children, but you are very nice! I am <mark>Lianna</mark>.”


    Roger got down on the sand and put her in his lap. “Oh, you are just as pretty as I remember you. I promised to take you on our ship, when I had a free day, but we worked longer and I could not. Now I work writing progs, so I can stay with you, and so can Judy!” He had deep blue eyes. Hers were light.


    Tan laughed. “I am so happy that you have your family. Oh, here comes <mark>Fiomin</mark>! And, my brother, <mark>Vonn</mark>! He has his dearest friend, <mark>Derees</mark> and his wife, <mark>Patasia</mark> with him!”


    They came running, but <mark>Derees</mark> had all three boys in his arms. They giggled.


    As they got closer, Judy paled. “<mark>Rees</mark>? Oh, <mark>Rees</mark>! Roger, my brother, <mark>Rees</mark>!”


    <mark>Derees</mark> gasped. “Judy! <mark>Tasia</mark>, here is my sister! I thought she died, testing ships with her husband! Roger, you are here, too!” His brown eyes filled.


    Everyone hugged everyone and it was so happy!


    Then Greg’s parents came and hugged everyone! Deb and her big family were delighted, and there were lots of kids. <mark>Vonn</mark> and Sara had Steven, Brett and Mandy. <mark>Derees</mark> and <mark>Tasia</mark> had <mark>Puret</mark>, Donn and <mark>Wisper</mark>, all boys. It just made me miss our son all the more. Is he on that planet with <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people?


    <mark>Fiomin</mark> <mark>Resar</mark> had blue eyes and blond hair. His wife, <mark>Igora</mark> <mark>Panab</mark> also had bright blue eyes and blond hair.


    Greg looked down. “Father, I am sorry.”


    <mark>Fiomin</mark> petted his hair and hugged him. “It is like seeing a ghost! Oh, come, Briahh and Sika! I love you all. <mark>Nein</mark> apologies. You did nothing wrong. They took you. I wanted you, but they took me and my <mark>Ig</mark>. Now we are together, and who are these fine ladies?”Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    “This is Deb, my wife! Her parents, Esther and Nathan Bruce, and Esther’s parents, <mark>Kameron</mark> and Vicki Robinson. <mark>Kameron</mark> is a doctor. Vicki is a chef and learns healing. Nathan and Esther are programmers. I teach chemistry and so does Briahh and Deb is a healer. Constance is a scientist and here is their baby, Lizzie!”


    Everyone loves a baby!


    Ir and I excused ourselves. But Pirad led a crowd. “Is that our missing people?”


    Everyone from Burial Chambers! Ir’s father ran to us. Ir wailed, and everyone stared at him! “Oh, don’t be upset. It wasn’t bad.”


    I sang, because I was scared, but no one really needed any healing. Not much to give, but they enjoyed it. Ir calmed down.


    Then I saw how many of our missing people were deep underground on <mark>Dromie’s</mark> planet. And, one of them was our son.


    I waved, and the server flashed a warning. CONTACT NOT AUTHORIZED.


    “Darn it! My son’s there! I want to see him!”


    Jarfus ported to us. His purple eyes fixed on me. “Kia, you can’t think to go there!”


    “I want my son!”


    “Do you know what danger they are? <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people are weapons! They infect people with rogues. Do you know what rogues are?” His purple eyes blinked at me.


    I cried. “It’s not fair! I want my son! Daka’s on that planet!”


    Ir gasped. “Jarfus, please! We have to go!”


    He put his flippers around us and hummed. Yellow light felt warm, and I didn’t feel quite as drained. “Listen to me. You can’t go there. Not until your Collective recovers. Rest. The danger is over now. No one can hurt them. They are in stasis. Pirad is working on the rogues. And, Pinda and I are working on that.”


    I wasn’t very satisfied with that answer, but at least we have our lost people back.


    Ir and I walked with Jarfus to our home. Ir had to make our bed very large. Very, very large.


    All of us clambered up there, and Jarfus laid down with a groan. “I’m very tired. It’s not easy, to fight someone that powerful.”


    I laid my face on his furry chest. He was very soft, a lot softer than a cat. “No, it wasn’t easy. If y’all can get rid of the rogues, can we have our son back?” My voice broke.


    “Of course!”


    “Can we negotiate about <mark>Dromie’s</mark> exile?”


    His purple eye stared at me. “Now, I don’t know about that! What makes you think that he deserves not to be exiled?”


    I didn’t know how to explain it, so I just opened up my telepathy and let him see.


    “Hmm. When we go to The Padrisa, I will talk to them. But, I can’t promise anything. First, The Padrisa, then, the 15th. If they will listen to me. I’m only from the 6th. Usually, if a Councillor is on a council, they decide on their own people.”


    “I thought Wslarc exiled them.” I frowned.


    “Wslarc is from the 6th, my level. He rose there. This is only his clone, so he’s from the 3rd, but the 3rd was destroyed. So he doesn’t have a level.”


    Ir sat up. “But, can’t you contact Wslarc, the Host Councillor?”


    “No, because my people have to appear before The Padrisa Council, too! We are just as guilty as <mark>Dromie’s</mark> people because we broke rules, deliberately. Don’t worry about it—”


    “Don’t worry about it! My son is out there!” He looked behind us and swept an arm out!


    “Oh dear, can’t you just have another baby?”


    Ir wailed. “But, I want my son! He really is a very nice son!”


    “You can have another son. I promise, he will be nice, too!”


    “You don’t understand! You can’t just replace one child with another! They are not the same! You produced <mark>Viad</mark>, but you saw how unhappy Adia was—”


    Jarfus waved up a holo. Ryee and Adia slept, but Laura held baby <mark>Viad</mark>, sleeping, while W~Via, who’s 9, wrote a prog, and <mark>Vadia</mark>—she’s 6 and has <mark>Adia’s</mark> red hair, played with a doll. Another boy—that’s <mark>W’Vie</mark>, J~<mark>oie’s</mark> son, he helped W~Via with the prog. “Oh, dear! They are different. Well, I must simply work harder so you can have Daka. But we must go to The Padrisa and convince them!”


    Father hugged Ir. “I can talk to them—”


    “There is no need for you to hurt yourself using a Lens! I can help you talk to them, all of you. Just—let’s rest, shall we? I’m tired!” Jarfus laid down and snored.


    Ir and I looked at each other, and Father hugged both of us.


    Mama and Daddy came in. Startled. “What’s that thing? You got a pet? He’s a big fella!” Daddy patted Jarfus’ shoulder.


    He sat up. “Humph! I am certainly not a ‘thing’, and I am not a pet! I am Jarfus. Mike and Mica enjoy riding me, but he considers me a ‘person’.” He retrieved his hat from the top of the bed and tipped it.


    Daddy staggered backwards! “It’s a talking walrus? Did those terminal <mark>thingy’s</mark> give him speech or something?”


    Mama frowned at him. “Didn’t you hear him? He’s a person! Or do you prefer ‘they’?”


    Jarfus tipped his hat to her. “Thank you, I am a ‘he’.”


    I laughed because Mama just took it in stride while Daddy was just awkward, as usual! “Uh, I’m sorry. Kia, where’s my grandson?”


    I let Ir explain it all.


    Except, they didn’t get The Padrisa, or The 15th. But then, I didn’t expect them to, because I don’t, either.