Clicking began under us. My heart pounded.

Farley hugged me. "Dear wife, you are pale! Do ships frighten?"

I hugged him. "I'm okay. Oh, they're bringing them in already? Did they fly here from Saturn?" I always got scared on takeoff or landing, because that's how slavers get people, mostly.

Pas hugged both of us. "They are boarding a ship that met them near Mars. This ship will take them to us, but, for them, they are being moved into groups. Healers from all over Alb are using holos to run gentle hygiene on them and progs prevent harms of all kinds. With these holos, they can run progs to detect some unwells and give herbs. Until they reach us, we can ne heal them, for ne are well among them to channel healing. Ah, here are some from Esta Faho and other worlds of Rahn Estar. Let us help them when they bring them in."

Goes raised his arms again. "Now I shall let Pas, Master Healer Of Yeff, teach us how to help these frightened ones!"

Pas brought Molly up there. "Here is Molly, Queen Of Rainbow. She will speak to the slaves and tell them two rules. What are they, Molly, that all might repeat your words?"

She bowed, a graceful Zheien bow with one leg far behind. She wore a cobalt blue dress and her healers' robes with Tessite symbols in two lines down the front where the edges of her white robe came together with two strips of blue for the symbols to hang on.

It felt downright odd to see her in a dress! Molly wore blue jeans for her first few years running Rainbow, and I never saw her bow. That bow was as graceful as any Zheien's!

Those red ringlets were bright red. This girl started Rainbow Unwell Colony at 15, when most people who start colonies are maybe 30. She opened her green eyes wide without using her eyebrows, which looks really weird! "I have two rules, and you are all citizens of Rainbow for my purpose tonight, so remember, you have to follow 'em, too. Rule Number One is, Rest when you're tired. Tired hands might not be as gentle, and if you're rubbing ea fae on a Zheien, you have to be very gentle. So, what's Rule Number One?"

Everyone repeated it, though Zheien said 'Rest when weary', and only the Earthans said, Rest when you're tired.'

"Good! Now, Rule Number Two is, 'See your healer if you don't feel good.' So, what's my second rule?"

Some said it like that, but Zheien said, 'See a healer if unwell.' I smiled.

"That's it, so all of you, follow it! These returned slaves need to see you following them, too. Now Pas'll teach you all how to be healer helpers. Rainbow needs lots of you!" She bowed again to Pas, who returned it.

He waved up a holo of a trembling Zheien. "This man is on the ship coming here. My son, did you hear Molly's rules?"

"Eae."

"Please, sit and rest." He waited for the man to sit. Then he sat in front of him. "Did you see a healer, my son?"

"Eae. He told me I need rest."

Pas waved for a flat mattress. "This is a leiwege. We use them to hold an unwell in comfort. My son, sit here, please."

He moved onto it, but he still trembled. Pas spent a few seconds bending the sides up, so he laid with his head back and arms out, but just slightly reclining. He pushed the man's legs together so his legs were up slightly and bent. "All of you, this position helps mind pain. Returned slaves oft have it, from injuries, and oft from fear. Wave, and you have a heated blanket if he is too cool, and a cool blanket if he is overly warm. It will adjust as conditions change. This blanket is for you, my son." He waved and it floated over him.

The man smiled, but his lips trembled. He kept looking at another older man.

"O, would you like your friend to come to you?" He motioned to the man, who looked scared, but he came. Both men cried.

Pas hugged the newcomer. "Here, sit by your friend."

"May I, Master?"

"You may."

Carefully, he sat in the leiwege, and the other one hugged him. "What must I do to earn Fa?"

Fa gasped and covered his face.

Pas hummed and got him to look up. "You earned rest with your bae, and he earned rest with you. Stay by him, and I teach you this new work. Both of you must rest now. I will put ea fae on you." He waved and an enormous bowl of the white foam sat on the floor. He got a handful of it and smoothed it on the younger one's face. "See how he enjoys this, my son? Bathe his face while I bathe his legs." He guided the older one to do that, then moved to their legs. The father obviously enjoyed doing this. And the younger one loved it. "O, I lie in healing!"

The older one watched Pas and trembled. "Ea, you lie in healing, and your fa puts ea fae on you. When in healing, you must rest. Your fa must also rest soon, and he may lie beside you. We go to my chambers soon. You are on a ship, and when he lands, you will be on Alb Seer. Some of you will go to MarKu, and some, to Ye~, some to Escet Vu, and some to Vasye—"

"Vasye!" The older one wept. "We go home, Bae!"

"Ea, you go home to Vasye. Here is a healer of Vasye to comfort—"

"Fae!" The younger one reached.

The older one gasped. "Fa! O, is you, fa!"

The man hugged both of them. Pas continued with his massage until both of them stopped trembling, and he covered their feet. The older healer rubbed it into their arms and sat by them as they slept.

Pas stood. "For every one of these, is different. Some may ask for family, and you should tell them when we land, we can contact them. Others bear ne reminder of home or family, so speak carefully. Ne ask questions. Merely listen. Use information they give, ne ask, for some were punished to ask, and if you ask, they might relive pains from terrible memories.

"As for ea fae, this is healing. If one has scrapes, they heal when you put this on them. Ne fear to do this. At first, there is discomfort, then warmth, and healed skin. Zheien skin is easily damaged, so use your lightest touch. Slaves oft come malnourished, and skin is more delicate. Fear ne to touch heads, arms, and legs below here." He rested his fingertips where his knees would bend. "Ne touch above here, even if there is injury. You may pour ea fae there, but ne touch."

"Know when to bring a healer. If you can ne calm one, wave to one in a white robe. If you see much blood. Or, if one ne sees you, but sees people or creatures you ne see. If one sleeps, go to one who is awake. My healers will go to all who ne wake to see if they merely sleep, or if we need to heal him. Always bring a healer to one who has pains.

"Now you know enough. All of you, stand, and I take you to those who need you." Holos of slaves appeared around the ship. Pas had a group, well, both Pases, but every healer also had a group.

A healer carried a yellow-skinned man. Fa paled! "Ba! O!"

He looked at him as the healer's holo put him on a leiwege and bent it. Pas took his hand. "My son, I am Pas—"

"Pas! O, heal me quickly before he comes back!" The poor man had a white gown to his feet and twin-toed socks and scars between silver curls.

Fa waved up a bowl of ea fae and smoothed it over his arms. Lots of cuts and bruises healed.

I waved off his socks and worked on his right root. Farley did his left.

Rose put some on his right arm. Jo held a handful of the white foam near his head but didn't seem to know where to put any. For her, every small thing has to be perfect. Karl just watched.

Pas saw his points and grimaced. I'd seen that in Rainbow. A healer tries to heal someone, and he's too scared to let him see anything. He pulled Jo's hand over and guided her to smooth the ea fae on his hair. Then she did it on her own. Pas also helped Karl that way and put him at Uncle's feet.

But, I watched Molly a lot when she was in our building. I asked her once what her secret was.

'Oh, I just get on their Outer Circle with my gentlest touch, and wait. Slavers plow right in. I wait, and when they hear how eager I am to heal 'em, they let me in. A little. I have to be very patient, because slavers aren't.' Her green eyes had that sparkle. That kind of enthusiasm is contagious. Wish I had some!

So, I took his hand. "Ba, Pas wants to heal you. He is kind." I spoke Elshar, but very gently. Elshar is a harsh language with a lot of guttural sounds. It's all verbs and very little of anything else, so they supplement with Zheien words to describe things. Zheien is mostly syllables. Healers warned me not to use my telepathy with injured people, because you can destroy what's left. So, I just pictured myself singing comfort.

"Must I let him? Are you my master?" Farley's uncle shivered. "Where is the work, Master?" He looked at me.

I waved a blanket over him, since we put ea fae everyplace we could. "Bae, you must rest. I think you are weary. You did good work today, and now is time to rest."

"Master, I nae worked. I slept, and Ba could nae wake me, so he left me in the sleeping chamber. You did nae know, so I must tell you." He shivered harder.

"Bae, I got you from a bad slaver. If you could nae wake, you were unwell, and one who is unwell must have healing. Wish you for Pas to heal you?"

His blue eyes turned dark. "You will make him give me terminals, because I disobeyed."

"Bae, I will nae punish you. I wish Pas to heal you, and he wishes to heal you. Will you let him? He does nae wish to put terminals in you, and I will nae make him. You told me the truth, and I wish to reward you with gentle healing from Pas." I pulled Pas' fingers onto Bae's forehead.

His hand moved over Pas'. "Please, heal me. I will take Pas' punishment, Master." His blue eyes watched me, not Pas.

"Oh, I will nae punish him. You are good and earned healing. Fear nae, Bae. Let Pas heal you. Go ahead, Pas. I will nae punish you." I smiled.

Pas very gently moved his fingercorners to the right places across Bae's forehead without letting his hand slip off his.

At first, Bae trembled harder. But he looked up. "You wish Pas to heal me? You nae try to hear secret?"

I lifted his other hand to my forehead. "Bae, I married Farley. I love Farley. You are his uncle, so I love you, too." My voice broke. "I will nae invade your mind. We love you, and we will take you home."

"Home." He trembled.

Pas rubbed his forehead. "Home is safe now. We will go to Rainbow Elshar Zheiea and stay there for a time. There are many healers to watch. Slavers can ne come."

He lifted his head, so Pas sat him up a bit and held him up, and supported his head, so he could look around without effort. "He will nae find me?"

"Ne, my son. He is with Ih Esta."

Suddenly, he hugged Pas. "I feel clicking. Engines. But there is nae pain. I nae feel nesfa. May I speak to Kon?" His voice broke.

"Ea. Speak to him while I see you, my son. Here is safe."

His blue eyes wavered between light and dark. I only saw that on very panicked Zheien! "Ba, is safe? We safe?"

"Eae, we are safe! Esta Faho moved to a new world, Elshar Zheiea, and we are a prov with King Challet. Nitomahan has more well. All our people are safe, if we can believe."

They hugged. "O, will you stay, will you stay by me?"

"Eae! I will stay, and sleep by you, Ba! I missed you so!" Both of 'em cried.

Farley hugged 'em, too.

Pas checked his points three times, then sang him to sleep. Gave him crushed nesfa, after he laid him in the leiwege. "Ne fear, my son. Sleep long. You lie in healing. We go home. When you wake, look for those in white robes and ne rise without help, for a few wakings. Sleep now and we speak later." Now those scars on his head and other places were gone, and his silver hair laid straight. Fa stroked it and his tears left yellow sparkles in it.

Then he comforted Fa. But, there were a few others, so Fa went to one of his friends who already had healing and slept, and gave him a massage with the ea fae.

The girls went to someone else. Daddy sat by a teen who woke up scared and held his hand. I went to a young girl who stared. Women—Zheien women, especially—rarely survive in a mine.

But, when I put a little ea fae on her hand, she looked at my hand. I kept on.

After a while, I put some on her face. She smiled, just a bit, but a nervous smile. I talked to her about going home, how it's safe there.

Farley talked about Biehshah security.

Then, Pas asked me to help him write progs for them. Uncle needed a prog to give him nesfa every time he woke up, in case healers didn't notice. So, a routine to ask for his healer, first, and if Pas wasn't around, or Konomai, then it would give it automatically.

Konomai was with another man and they had the memory-sharing stare.

So Elsie and I got a lot of practice writing simple, easy healer progs.

It got harder. We helped everyone who seemed to be from Esta Faho, but Fa recognized someone sitting with a Thordes DS Team. They all moved to our group. He gave Fa a hug and went back to sleep, and he was fine with his team holding him. He needed epilepsy progs, which Pas taught me to write.

Farley recognized another friend from Esta Faho. It went like that. We found 'em all over the ship. Sometimes, with a DS Team. But some just hid. It's a saucer. There are no cargo boxes to hide behind. A lot of scared slaves get gray skin, just from fright. So it makes it harder to recognize a Zheien who's sick enough to be gray.

But we had progs that compared something a lot more complex than DNA to identify Zheien. These poor fellas were crouched over their knees under blankets, thinking we couldn't see 'em. Pas warned us to be careful. If we scare them, they can die.