Sara put her head on Cevit Ion's shoulder. "Rentappenen wants me dead. He doesn't want Pirad to know that he's losing. He's nearly out of materials to make clones, so he wants Pirad's supply worlds. Novas! He's looking for Dromie's world!"

I busted out laughing! "Novas? You sound like Danger Service. 'Nova! Look at that, Jim!' They look up and a star explodes like fireworks. Then, another star explodes. 'Novas!!' they chorus."

Sara made her voice British and deep like that announcer. "'And this is how Danger Service invented a new slang expression used by gazillions across the galaxies! 'Novas'!" She laughed.

Cevit Ion used the same voice. "'Now, our intrepid explorers, Diplomat Dangerous and Diplomat Extraneous, travel on missions to save the universe! They go to Tasmania where they look up in the sky. 'Novas!!'

They go to Bismainia. There are two novas in the sky there, too. Both diplomats point at it. 'Novas!!' People look up and point as well. 'Novas!!'

World after world, these two brave diplomats get people to look up at the starry nightttime sky. People on them look up and say, 'Novas!!'

Finally, the novas are gone from the sky. Still, mission after mission, these two diplomats, after their weary day of negotiation, look up at the sky and point. 'Novas!!'

Leader Sigourney Of Ziazmania looks up. 'I don't see anything. What are you two trying to do, psychological warfare?!'

'No, we're just remembering the two novas that were in the sky on our last mission.'

'Where was that?'

'Xasmania, in the 7th.'

Leader Sigourney scoffs at them. 'We are in the 3rd Galaxy. We haven't had a star to nova in 15oo of our years—what?'

He looks up at the nighttime sky and gasps. A star explodes in blue and green light.

'Wait for it,' says Dangerous.

A second star novas in red and green! Leader Sigourney gasps!

'Novas!!' chorus Dangerous and Extraneous.

'Novas!!' exclaims Leader Sigourney. He gasps again. 'Now you have me saying it! Novas!! Novas!!'

Sara giggled, then got her announcer voice again. "'And by a severe case of coincidence, Dangerous and Extraneous went on their 149-treaty tour of 14 galaxies, and in each one, there were two novas visible in the night sky. So eventful was this tour, that every world in the Alliance learned to say 'novas!' And, they soon taught the Zheien!'

The scene changes to the peaceful Zheien world of Zheienmainia, Capital Of The Zheien where King Ishmainia sits on his throne of sand. [It's a mound in the middle of nine different colored cubes. The camera zooms in to his eye which looks up. Then it zooms out to show an old king in red-violet robes with long, silver curls.

An orange Zheien startles and leads the old king away. A young man with blonde curls strides over to the mound and sits. Sand flies up in a cloud! People cough.

A caption reads KING MAREL'MAINIA RETIRED. THIS IS ISHMAINIA, HIS SON.

The camera zooms in on his deep blue eye, which looks up, then zooms suddenly out to reveal his extra-surprised face, then zooms up to the sky where two stars nova! 'Novas!!'

Two purple Thordes diplomats frown at him. 'Aww, you beat us to it! Novas!!'

'Ejis nae! Should I hit the 'rewind' button?' He waves.

The entire scene replays, but this time, Dangerous and Extraneous gasp and point up. 'Nova!' says Dangerous. 'Nova!' says Extraneous. The camera zooms in on both of them as the second nova happens and they both point up and exclaim, 'Novas!!'

'Now, will you sign with me on this Occasion Of The Twin Novas? I wish to commemorate this Treaty between us with a Proclamation Of The Twin Novas, and compel all of my Zheien peoples everywhere to use the expression, 'Novas!!' for extreme surprise!'

Dangerous looks at Extraneous, who shakes his head, vigorously! But Dangerous smiles at the King. 'I think this provision is unnecessary. Look!' People are pointing up and shouting, 'Novas!!'

The king flashes a wise smile. 'But, my kingdom expects a provision with which to proclaim it! I must add this Proclamation because my people wish it. I share a mind link with every one of them, wherever they might be, and all are in agreement!'

Dangerous looks at Extraneous, who has a very smug expression. He shrugs and says, 'Okay, I'll sign it and so will Extraneous. This treaty will be the culmination of two years' work!'

Just then, Emperor Evilus strides into the scene and kicks up dust from the King's mound."

Sara looked at Cevit Ion, who used the creaky Evilus voice. "'Now, I will object to this treaty! No one will ever say, 'Novas!', because—'

'You just said it! I heard you say the word, 'Novas!' Diplomat Dangerous points at Emperor Evilus, who looks around.

'I didn't say it! I object to its use!' He points at a minister, who stands up.

'I say we have 3000 witnesses in this meeting, and our mind link has gazillions, who heard you use the expression, 'Novas!' I rest my case.' He sits, and a cloud of dust obscures the scene.

Evilus paces, and dust follows him around in a circle. 'I suppose I had to say it to address the issue, but I object to its use!'

King Ishmainia jumps up and follows him in a circle. One by one, all of his council does the same, imitating his wide gestures. 'But, you used it, so I must object to your objection! If you use the word, you cannot object to it.'

'But, I have to say it so you know what I'm talking about, don't I?'

'Nae! We all have telepathy, including you!'

'I don't have telepathy! I lost it fighting...' He whirls, and dust rises so we barely see anyone. 'Him!'

'Who? The dust is terrible today, ejis nae!'

'Can't you just use your telepathy to look?'

'Nae, I would violate your privacy to do so!'

An exaggerated male sigh came from the cloud. 'Just wait for the dust to settle. Nobody move!'

'You can nae order my people nae to move! Please, speak politely.'

Another loud male sigh stirs up even more dust. 'Please. Nobody move!'

'That was still rude. Please, use a polite tone.'

An even louder male sigh happens. 'Please. Don't move. Just don't.'

'Thank you, Evilus.'

'That's Emperor Evilus!!'

'O, I am very sorry. I thought us friends. Emperor Evilus, thank you.'

'Mwhahaahaa! Thank you.' More dust rises.

Finally, the dust clears and he is still pointing at Dangerous. 'There. You see? He did it! He hurt me and now my telepathy doesn't work!' A lightning bolt goes from his eyes to Dangerous and he falls on the sand.

Dangerous groans. 'You just used it on me! Ow!!'

'That was a coincidence! Maybe sometimes it works.' A lightning bolt comes from his eyes and hits Extraneous in the arm.

'Ha, ha, you missed—'

Another lightning bolt hits Extraneous and he falls down. 'Oh! Ow!'

Black robed men grab Evilus. 'Now you are going to the Galactic Police Fortress!'

'Oh, boy, I always wanted to see your secret facility! Is this a tour?'

'Yes, it is a tour! A never-ending tour!'

'Good, I'll learn all your secrets—wait a minute. A never-ending tour? But that means—'

'Yes! You will not leave. Nae ever.'

Evilus gets a horrified look. 'But I claim Provision 27!'

The Ministers look at each other with very confused looks.

King Ishmainia waves up the treaty. 'Very well. Sign this, then they can take you.'

'But-but I have protection! I do!'

'Provision 27 states that you have protection until you sign. Sign the treaty, please."

Evilus takes a quill off the king's hat and scribbles his name. 'There! Now I have protection! You won't get me!' He waves and two men bring in a blue swirl painted on cardboard and spin it. Clicks are loud.

The black robes grab his arms before he can jump in. 'We got you. Come to our secret prison now.' They jump into the portal with him and knock the cardboard swirl down, then vanish. The cardboard swirl is still on the sand. One of the ministers sweeps sand on it with a sheepish grin.

'Now we may sign and enjoy a festival—'

Male deepvoiced crying makes them look around. 'Noooooooooooo!' fades away.

Another male voice echoes. 'Nae worry. Even prisoners get festival pastries.'

'Really? Can I watch Danger Service on cable tv?'

'We have holos of it.'

'Okay, take me to my cell.'

The echoes fade.

Everyone in the huge crowd signs the treaty and cheers! The cheers are 'Novas!! Novas!! Novas!!'

Sara giggled. "I love that!"

I laughed. "What's that one called? I'll have to put it on my watchlist!"

"Novas Redux, but if you start from the beginning, it's still this season."

"Oh, it's new Danger Service?" But the episodes I remember, that's future Danger Service, not now.

Sara looked sad. "I don't know if they'll ever make the Danger Service episodes we remember. They're doing new ones."

"Pirad collected memories of many Earthans who enjoyed it." Cevit Ion laughed. "I think he can make them into what we remember. Many diplomats watched."

"Yeah, Zheien have memories like elephants! They'll remember every detail! Did you watch all of them, Cev?"

He looked confused. "Which?"

"Oh." She showed us memories of a documentary she watched about elephants once.

The narrator was British. Same accent as the one on Danger Service? "Elephants need large amounts of water. They must travel long distances to find it, but the matriarch remembers where the herd found water, over a period of 60 years. She leads her troupe to a water hole that still has water in it even in this drought."Cevit Ion laughed. "I enjoyed Oahsah's elephant, Samantha, so! But I nae knew much of them. MarKu has many. His orange sand reminds them of their home, as do trees near Fig. Environs are nae as hot there as once they were, but elephants suffered in the heat also. Goes negotiated for all rescued elephants to come to him. Keepers are happy to keep them safe from poachers, and many injured ones benefit from lower gravity. Those that are healthy can have their native habitats and progs make them able to coexist with people. Containments keep them from roads and homes. Now all Earth's elephants have telepathy to make their needs known. Many wish to work with them and this gives them opportunities—"

-- from Kia's Biehshah Gift, Ch.30