I wrote progs, I slept, Farley ate when I ate, and I was a lot hungrier than ever! "Did I eat four pastries? I need to cut back—" I almost said, 'Novas!' Earth didn't make Danger Service yet, a sitcom that spoofs Diplomatic Service in every way possible. An early episode had two stars nova at once and the silly character said it. Suddenly, every DS Team was saying it and laughing over the mistakes in the low-budget vid! Especially Thordes. They laugh at everything, even corny jokes. I learned to make jokes with our Team because our Thordes members thought every joke I told was hilarious!

Pas laughed. "Ella, progs compensate. You need extra food, because your mind works very hard. I encouraged Farley to eat more, and he is much more well now."

I watched my handsome husband. His blond curls had more life in 'em, and he sat without support from his leiwege. That yellow skin nearly glowed. Over this past week? Like I'd been so busy I didn't notice the date on my progs?

I guess that's like truck drivers have to eat more 'cause driving burns 500 calories an hour. But if they eat a lot of snacks, they still get fat.

Farley startled and I got ready to hug him, but he didn't look upset. A happy expression just kind of seemed to glow on his face, and I smiled. "Love, Earth passed the Alliance Treaty! Next Monday, he considers a Unified vote. Our clones are very happy! They convinced Dr. Apfelbaum's family to come here and work with us. Finally, his brother agreed to bring his family, and his will come. Many of his wife's families and his relatives plan to leave tonight with them. They will come on Pol's ship, a diplomat of Kin Para."

There was quite a list of Earthans, and several people from Midtown High that I barely knew, and some in my classes at GSU. But no one close. I wished I hadn't been such a loner while I was there. Kind of depressing, but I'd invite a friend to my house and they never came back. My dysfunctional family made me feel like maybe a leper felt back when there was no cure.

Karl got excited because some of his friends were coming, but not here. He talked about porting over to MarKu a lot, and to Ye~. Mostly, it was Jason and Steven and Brian and their ball games. A lot of kids their ages played, Earthan and Zheien. MarKu's Earthan Colony had 400 people already, in 5 cities! Ours had us, Bedelia's family, she married Jos Keil. Becky's family, the girl who married 1st Prince Antomias, and Elsie, she married Nespa and I missed that. And a lady named Stacy had a big family with kids, and another lady named Yelena, who married Nathanhai. But, all of them were only 21 people.

There are long lists of people with plans to go to each of the other—35 worlds, now? But none waiting on Elshar Zheiea. I waved up a map of the Earth Elshar Zheiea colony. There are a few Elshars that married Earthans who live there, including Berto. But the other 4 worlds of Rahn Estar had about 20 or less people. Elshar Zheiea, the rest of it, has maybe a hundred.

But there was another list that was foster kids adopted by Elshar Zheien. Now that Earth signed the Alliance Treaty, they are bringing 5000 of the 110,000 foster kids here to Elshar Zheiea! "Elsie! Did you see this?"

Elsie ran over and her husband kept her from falling as she stumbled to me. "What? Foster kids? Oh, I would've loved for a Zheien family to adopt me!" She cried.

Nespa pulled with his mind and a huge crowd came running. "See my family, dear wife, they are yours!" One of them gasped.

"Sylvia, you came to us? But I thought the ship nae arrived yet!" A lady hugged her.

Nespa laughed. "She is nae Sylvia, but Elsie, Sae Esian."

"But, she looks—" A holo came up of her twin!

Records showed that she was a twin, an identical twin, but her sister was born intellectually disabled. She looks fine, the same brown eyes, skin, and hair in neat braids with beads. But she was raised in foster care, too. Slowly looked up. "Sylvie. That's me!" She giggled.

"Honey, this isn't a holo like you check your hair in. I'm Elsie, and I'm your twin sister!"

"Elsie. Hi!" She smiled really big, and her uneven teeth had a huge overbite.

A lady frowned. "Well, that's nice that you gotta sister, but it's time to port to the ship. I have all your things packed." A matronly Black lady took her hand.

Farley noticed that frown. "Are you sad that Sylvia leaves you?"

She took a few secs to answer. "Well, I'll miss her, but I don't know what I'll do without work. All the foster care kids are leavin' an I didn't qualify to be a temp home, 'cause my residence isn't what they require." She sighed, and pulled at a black curl. A hair clip fell on the floor and she left it there.

"Could you come with her?"

"They said the contract was for kids, not foster parents. They said none of us could go with 'em."

"This is nae correct! Anyone can come to any world of their choice, to an Earthan colony. All needs are provided, housing, health care, familiar foods—"

"I didn't meet their requirements, for an Earthan colony. They said I had to have skills I don't got."

"Lady, our Earthan colonies are in Alb, and there are nae requirements! I send a diplomat to you. You may come with Sylvia and continue to care for her, if you like. Her family will welcome you. They are Merinine and Esian, and they live in Esta Faho."

"I can keep Missy! Oh, I want to keep Missy!" Sylvia jumped up and down while trying to hug her, and a diplomat rushed into the room where they were. Many other kids on Sylvia's level got excited and so did their caregivers! A few were with individual kids but some had groups in a big room with toys and other holos. Some were little, and some looked grown like Sylvia. That lady just looked skeptical. The diplomat got that stare with Farley and the connection closed.

Elsie got upset. "Can't they keep the connection open? I just met my sister I didn't even know I had—"

Nespa held her. "Love, they must travel, and can nae contact us for a few hours. Can you bear? Perhaps one thinks manual calcs well."

"Em thinks many will emigrate to one of our worlds. Perhaps they choose the worlds of the children's adoptive parents." Farley smiled.

"But does families expected one or several sisters or brothers they adopted wit' 'em, an' they won't want the caregivers, will they? What if the caregivahs want 'em? What if they decide to keep the kids on Earth?"

Nespa looked to Farley to talk about it. "They must decide. Em spoke with many lawyers regarding this, for he is Earth's liaison for these adoptions. What is done on Earth is nae easily undone, and I think courts must hear any arguments, if they wish to stay on Earth. But Em says their loud thoughts reveal, they all wished to travel with their children, those who think to emigrate. Others are happy on Earth and merely comfort the children that they are to stay and they must leave now. Em nae heard arguments, nae at all.

"Their ship loads now. Some of the children were upset when they ported, but all have healers to comfort them. Most are very happy, those able to understand their adoptions. They had frequent holos from those wishing to adopt them, once they decided which parents they wanted. O, a DS Team comes for their respite and shall give calcs on their ship. Many Teams are available, and other ships have them. We shall see them in 2 hours, Elsie!"

She calmed down. "I guess I can wait two. Let's go enjoy the festival! I'm hungry!"

We all went. I looked at Pas. "Don't we have to write more progs?"

He laughed, and got the merry look in his red-gold eyes. "O, there will always be more progs, but after your work yesterday, there is less to do. See Galarsmen? He gathers us in the mud marshes. Elsie, I bring a baker for you."

She laughed. "I guess I can wait until after the speeches. Zheien shore do love their speeches, don't they?" Her beads rattled pleasantly as she did.

A baker ran a tray over, with a huge smile. "Nes, you look well today!" This young man had silvery blond curls. He like everyone in sight, had bright yellow color, with an occasional brown, red, green or blue skin. All their colors were like they should be with no hint of white, or gray.

Nes laughed. "O, my sleep is very well, so I nae have to hide more. I feel well. Galarsmen's healers do miracles!"

"Know you nae that Ella's progs did this?"

The diplomat startled. "Progs? Which?"

Pas waved his up and pointed to a long list of poisons he had, that my progs gradually removed from his body. He paled. I got ready to modify it, but it compensated for his shock.

Nespa bowed low to me! "Lady Ella, I nae knew! Thank you, for my well!"

"Oh, Pas forgets how hard all the healers worked, to heal everyone. I just ran some extra analyses." I waved a hand down.

Galarsmen walked over to us, and all the healers bowed, including Pas. "Lady Ella, you are modest to extremes! Do you nae know your skills saved us, all of us? I can speak freely, now that Mican is dead. Ih Esta killed him, and all of his clones.

"He died because you disabled progs that protected him, a slaver! Micansen showed me what he planned for us, to destroy us and replace all of us with slavers. Our mines nearly became a slaver's haven, with riches he nae found on our other worlds. Rahn Estar depleted his Tessite long ago when we first came and had so many needs. So did Kin Para, who turned to farming and his other mines of bluemetal and memorystones.

"From Kin Para came your necklace, that Farley wore when he attacked the Esteerrian ship. When I knew he was to go to D'gharr, I gave him to a diplomat, who met you there. Portals arrive more quickly than ships, and we had Pirad's tech with the arrival of Mican. When I knew of it, I sent him in a white portal to Farley's ship. This portal brought him in two hours. I nae knew what use you would find for him. Perhaps you thought him merely a gift from home from someone wishing to cheer you. I nae heard from Tanorsen more."

Farley looked sad. "He put the necklace in my hand, and saw the spheres your friends carried, and helped me put the rest on my arm. Moved the necklace to my neck and shoved it under my collar. I felt strong.

"Keep this safe for King Nitomahan—" He collapsed and died, on the floor of my ship! I nae expected it, as if to speak of this object brought fatal pains! Mican trained many of us." He frowned and paled a bit.

Pas rubbed his blond curls and hummed. "I reversed much of all your training, people of Esta Faho. As did healers from the other colonies."

"As Esteerrians noticed me, and Zbbat, they gave nae sign, but put much telepathic force on me. I thought to die, but they sank, and my friends let them snatch what they thought was food. We worked fast.

"The ship I chose had a symbol that marked Tch'Zbbatr's finest soldier. Never in any imaginings of my heart did I think to survive, but that ship must nae leave D'gharr, or the next world suffers! So I found it open.

"One Zbbat came to me, and I felt his telepathy, but he sank as well! The symbol on his ship meant he had the telepathy of 20 Zbbat! Normal Zbbat have the telepathy of 20 Zheien, and is impossible to go near one without them sensing us. Yet, I was close enough to see him standing in his ship waiting for his slaves, and he came to me, and could nae touch for weakness. I threw one of the false fruits in the top of him, lest he recover and kill more innocents.

"The next ship had 20 Esteerrians, and they also eagerly took the rest of the weapons and ate, and when they tried to attack me, the necklace warmed. Each of these, and on all these seven ships, they traveled with Eriganh to gain his favor. Favor they earned by rushing to kill those who tried to defend the most important of resources. On D'gharr, the small weapons facility. It was similar to ours on Esta Faho, but with even more powerful weapons. I was to make sure its content ported to Pirad in a white portal, so I ran progs to do this as I attacked the ships.

"I am grateful to my friends, who nae knew how important this mission, my final mission, was. From what anyone knew, this was an impossible task, and Pirad warned me through our communication, that he could supply these weapons, but he had no means of hiding me or them from Esteerrians and Zbbat! So I decided to carry them openly and if they ate, they died, but nae quickly. Soon enough to save Eriganh's next target, perhaps.

"But we succeeded, and came to Earth, and there I knew of you and had hope, Love. When I spoke to Kono about returning him to Galar, he warned me, to leave him is to die! So, I gave him to Ella once I had enough health."

"Farley, we have to give it back! It's an heirloom!" I knew that in Rainbow, when someone had a thick Tessite necklace, they could swap it with one not quite as big, then another not as big as that one, and they could do that with this one, right?

Galarsmen laughed. "You nae understand, that necklace was made for Ikon when he was to rule us. Wasa Mai nae let us give to him. We had great need, and that necklace preserved your life, so I told him to give it you. In this way, you have strength for your great work, and Farley, for his, in your new life as Elders."

He gave a lot of examples of how my progs saved people, but I couldn't help feeling that it was Farley, or something, anything besides me.

Then, Galarsmen made his announcement. "Today, my friends of Esta Faho, we travel to our city—"

Oh, boy! We can live in our house, finally! I got excited until I heard the rest of it.

"—to my chambers. I wish you to stay there just for a time longer. I know you are weary of healers' chambers, but I think even this small change may uncover unwells."