Pirad put his hand on Farley's head and clicked his jointed face into an expression of dismay! "Why would they do this? Challet, I must destroy your weapons facility. These weapons are from Aegea before they rose three millennia ago. They destroyed 40 star systems, despite warnings from the Council of the 5th at the time my ancestors sat on it."

King Challet stepped from a portal. "If I knew of this, I never had such danger on any world in my reign! Ejis faea naea, destroy it now!" He was white, and his healer ported in and put him on the bed!

Pirad waved and red light bathed us! Will we all die of radiation?

Farley shook harder. "Nae mentioned that we had this evil on our world! Who was king when this came to us?"

Challet took his hand. "Be calm. The facility existed long before our worlds became part of Elshar Zheiea! Wasa Mai had grave concerns, but the Council insisted—and Mican was on it. O, if I knew! But what could any of us do against a Councillor? He is gone, and Pirad, you could secure the weapons?"

"I destroyed them all! As the Council once decided, all such weapons must be destroyed. I ported them all in a red portal, to a sun far from us. The sun is destroyed, but it was almost ready to nova. All the weapons are gone. The building is gone. All the scientists will now work on more peaceful pursuits. None of them understood the weapons, so they did not try to dismantle them. I got their permission to collect their memories, and they are going to my lab now. One is coming here to advise me on these terminals. They are not slaver terminals, but those for soldiers. They should be easy to remove, by design."

I didn't feel any better about this.

A Xchou came in and bowed.

Farley smiled. "Tasafier! It is good to see you, my friend."

The man's fire-engine red skin paled to white. "Friend? How do you know me? All of us had strict instructions from our queen, Gedda Dier, to have no contact with any colony that might come!"

Farley sweated. "But, you tutored me in weaponry, before I went to Sigan Mas! You took me into the weapons facility and showed me weapons and how to use them every day for a year!"

Millie helped the man get on the bed, and he laid down! "How can this be? No one is allowed in our facility but myself, Father and Mother! We are Xchou Elders, from Vohl. Was our last recloning tampered?" He shivered.

She looked scared. "Pirad, can you heal a Xchou who's not mixed with Elshar?"

He laughed. "Yes, I can—" The moment his five-fingered hand touched the man's head, he clicked an expression of shock onto his face! "What species are you?"

"Chaonoi. We rose and left the Xchou. All our work. You destroyed it all. Why?"

"Because it is too dangerous for this tech level! You are from the 5th, and should know that!"

"We left the Council when Rentappenen had ideas. You do not know what he is capable—"

"He is dead! I made Cubes and hid them. We combined all of them to fight him, and we destroyed his Collective, then him. He was on Lisbaar when it exploded. Because we had a weapon to prevent porting, tied to his genetics."

The man went limp. "Then our purpose is served. Father, Mother, we can go home now."

They ported in and held him. I thought they died! The father held a hand on his forehead. "I did not tell you. Our home is destroyed. Rentappenen thought to take our tech, and disrupt many levels above ours. I destroyed it, so much so we can never reconstruct it. Now our lab is destroyed, and all the weapons I hid from Mican. But, all of us, and the people we gave terminals to fight him, we are weapons. My last act is to take the terminals back and die."

Milly gasped, "You can't! Wait!"

A flash of white light came! When I could see again, their bodies were gone! Farley held his temples and cried! So did Tom!

Ahstam ran in! Even I knew of the best master healer in all of Zheiea! He and Pirad got the memory-sharing stare.

I held Farley as he went limp. Cold. I felt shocked. I'm a widow. I'm a widow!

Farley's clones ran in. All 5 of them. "What happened to my ba?" The first one put both hands on his blond curls and a cloud of green sweat-powder rose.

His wife, my twin, touched his head and gasped. "Farley, I'll—divorce you. You can marry--

I held Farley and screamed! "I don't—he's not dead! I didn't die, so he's not dead yet! Oh, Farley, honey, you have to live!"

Pirad shoved his cold arms under him and lifted. "I can try to reclone him again. King Challet asked for a clone. I can use him. He is willing."

My twin jerked at his arm. "You can't do that if he's alive!"

"I just tried to run stasis. It will not work. If I do not reclone him now, I will not be able to try again. Would you rather sacrifice your husband?"

I tried to think. What would Farley want? Would he sacrifice a life for his? No. No Zheien would do that. Only a Bisillip would do that! But how am I still alive? Did that piece of alien technology infect both of us? On our tech level, terminals are biological. I've been sleeping beside him. I felt crazy! Farley wouldn't do this. But I couldn't open my mouth to say no.

I followed Pirad into a white portal. We dropped through the white sand of Alb Seer to Kirnonos' Lab! That's where they did recloning. Farley didn't last long enough to be recloned in the old Rainbow.

Wasa Mai brought a recloning lab with him from Ishah. Pirad said all of them had these terminals. Wasa Mai, too?

A Zheien picked me up. Farley's clone. "Ella, please, listen. Is my choice, to help my ba live again. He loves you. You love him.

"There must be sacrifices, for the well of the thirteen galaxies Ry'nao holds in his hands. Farley knew things that Ry'nao must, to keep our galaxies safe. Hear you him?"

I heard that voice again.

"Does anyone else hear him besides you, Farley?"

Milly held my hand. "I hear him. He needs to know if Mican got any of that tech and gave it to someone else. If anything got out of that building before it was destroyed, we need to know."

"Did—what was that diplomat's name? The one who died on D'gharr."

"What? Nobody died on D'gharr!" Milly shook her head.

"The one who brought this to Farley!" I waved my necklace at her.

A hologram formed and floated along with us. That diplomat from Farley's memories!

"I am Tanorsen, Leader Of Tanorsen Prov that bears my name. I am the Elder left when they destroyed the original facility, when Mican tried to take him. I lived as Zheien, but I am Laruu. I am recloning myself as Zheien to infiltrate the Fortress Of D'gharr. I have the telepathy of a Naisain, but it will not save me. I will attack Eriganh, and I will fail. But I will bleed, and my body is a weapon. All who touch me will spread terminals, only among Kajarians. Their telepathy will feel strong, but will be permanently weaker. This is our weapon, to punish the Kajarians for misusing their superior abilities.

"I came from the Council Of The 6th. I have observed Mican, a Councillor who secretly helped Rentappenen. He is also of the 6th. They think by expunging him to the 5th, we are safe. I know we are not. So my people put a weapons facility on a world suitable for many species. When they come, they will also be weapons, until Rentappenen is no more. His followers will want revenge. So I am for the Kajarians. Your people must be for the Ty'nirrhans. If they are also defeated, there are no others strong enough to threaten the Thirteen. I think infighting among the Aryllans will destroy them, as well.

"If there are no other threats, my Gift is this necklace, to watch for those who would abuse power of higher levels. Show this message to Ry'nao. His genetics alone will open other Gifts, to help him in his stewardship. His diligence has earned this Gift.

"Farley, you must keep the necklace, because it will be tied to your genetics, and no one else can use it. Keep your people safe, and do not let Mican's followers use our weapons facility. Pirad alone knows how to destroy it and keep peoples of the Padrisa safe. The war you know, is only a battle in our war.

"I am the last of our people. Know that civilizations rise and fall. I hope the peoples of the Thirteen will be wiser than we were. We created weapons knowing they would end us, and we thought, somehow, we would use them for good. If you are to learn anything from us, know that weapons will be misused. Spend your time creating technologies to create, not to destroy. My clone will take this familiar form. He will live only long enough to deliver the necklace. Do not try to reclone him. Knowledge he has must die with him, Farley. Accept it. You work for peace, and Mican must not succeed.

"Only if you live can your people live, and he must die. You must live to use the necklace. More civilizations than yours are at stake. There is no one I can trust, Farley, with this power. Do not take foolish chances with your life. You are the only being in these thirteen galaxies who knows the secrets of the weapons facility, those that can save the Thirteen. Use this technology wisely. It is the only part of our world that is useful to Ry'nao. Guard it well.

"When Mican is dead, and he will die on Lisbaar, take the necklace to Ry'nao and he will tell you how to use it. Mican released poisons of our level on your world. Your people will die unless you save them." The holo ended.

Pirad moaned as he walked. "He may not remember how to use it! I do not know enough! Kirnonos, help us!" We stepped into a white portal again.