All the giant wasps froze and fell on the ground.

  Zheien ran to the ship. These fellas were shiny blue-black. “Oshfah! Te osh?”

  One came to the front and bowed low. Then I heard English. “Ry’nao, who is this, who holds you prisoner?” His anger rumbled on us!

  “Beon, we must go to the Padrisa for judgment. You stand in the presence of a Councillor of the 5th.” His voice was very quiet. Then, he bowed lower to Yamotenanten.

  A gasp and this fella prostrated himself and put his hands under Yamotenanten’s feet!

  “Yamotenanten, I beg for the life of my friends!” Ry’nao’s anguished voice barely carried above the buzzing of other insects, and the pattering of sudden rain on huge leaves above us.

  “I will not harm them. They have much concern for you. We came to get water, for my prisoners must reach the Padrisa in good condition, or I shall be punished.” He reached down and set this fella, who wore black robes, on his feet.

  A white-robed fella came and felt people’s arms. “Did any sting you, any of you?”

  “Nae, we are well! How shall I address you, Councillor of the 5th? I am Beonamano, King Of Nah Zheien Colony. I nae ever expected to receive such an important visit!”

  “You may call me Yamotenanten. I have nothing to give you to trade for water.”

  “We have plenty! Zu, bring enough to fill their hold!” He spoke to another man, who ran!

  Now water poured on us from leaves that got full and splashed us. Greg and Briahh stood there with their mouths open for a long time. So did all the Biehshah and Bisillips. Pirad clicked his mouth into a too-wide smile! “Oh, that was refreshing!”

  The Zheien shivered, though Ryonne~ tried to look like it didn’t bother him.

  Men took the giant wasps into baskets. “What befell them? This is enough food for us for a year!” Happy people nodded. Oh, yuck!

  “Beon, how did these creatures come to your world?”

  He sighed and it rumbled on us. “Slavers loosed them. Then, they were deadly poison. Suddenly, they lost poison, but they killed most of us. We learned to armor ourselves from their bodies. Their telepathy was too strong for us to convince them we meant nae harm to them.”

  Ry’nao hugged him. “How many are left?”

  “Perhaps, ninehundred. Our Hub keeps 98,006 in our Burial Chambers.”

  They wept together.

  Pirad walked to them. “Have you got ships?”

  He sighed. “I have but one ship. None of us can bear to leave the others. He holds twenty. We use him to trade with Bon. Dachsa Machs plans to come to us when she can, to discuss trade for more.”

  “I am sure she has my tech for fuel by now. You can tow your worlds to Alb, and have adequate trade.”

  A ship landed in a clearing. Pirad looked surprised. “She heard me! That is her ship!”

  Yamotenanten looked exasperated! “We must take water and leave! I have not time for meetings and negotiations!”

  A bunch of Bisillips ran to the ship, some carrying long, rectangular boxes! They stacked the silver boxes 3 high in the middle of the ship’s floor.

  One Bisillip in a long, green metallic robe stood in front of Ry’nao and bowed low. “Ry’nao, this is a shock! I never expected to see you again!”

  He bowed to her, not quite as low. “Dachsa, I am happy to see you. Are your people well?”

  “Yes. All are happy war ended! But I am grieved that this man is taking you away! Who will govern?”

  “My clone will. He is now on Vohl with our Elders. He does not know we are here.”

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  She clicked her green face into a very shocked expression! “May I tell him?”

  “Dachsa, you must not. I cannot discuss it and no one must know of this visit to Nah. What will happen will happen. We broke many Council rules to defeat Rentappenen.” His voice broke.

  “What can I bring you, to comfort all of you? And you, Councillor, will you allow it?”

  Yamotenanten frowned. “I fear I will have punishment because of this! But, I will allow it. See to their needs. I will leave this with you.” He put a white cube into her hand.

  She smiled. “Thank you. Will you tell us of the verdict, when your Council decides?”

  “No. Finish quickly. We need to leave!”

  She waved and a clothing former ran on all of us. “There is similar clothing in one of the boxes. I provided many foods and healing herbs for all of your species because Pirad told me of your needs. One box has Tessite jewelry, if he will allow you to have it, to give you strength. I am sorry you must pay for our Level’s victory.” She bowed to Ry’nao again, then lower, to Yamotenanten. Left, with her entourage.

  “Dachsa, please take them to Alb. You should also consider it.” Pirad clicked his face into a deep frown. “Your slaves will have healing there.”

  “Thank you Pirad. I already healed them and gave them freedom, but we always find more. I can leave sentries to bring our found ones to Alb.” She clicked her face into a smile, then waited for King Beonamano, who cried as he hugged Ry’nao. Then, Ryonne~. “O, you are thin, my friend. Please, be well.”

  “Do not fear for us. We will be well on our journey.”

  “And, after? What shall they do?” He frowned at Yamotenanten.

  “It is none of your concern! Go! We must leave!” He pointed out. Rain still poured into the ship.

  The Zheien left weeping.

  The white hull came back and the ship was dry. Everyone, just like that, was dry.

  Molly got up and walked to the nearest stack of 3 silver boxes. Put a hand on it. “We need blankets! How can we get into these to pull anything out?”

  Yamotenanten looked at her with a frown. “Just reach in and think of what you want.”

  Her hand on the box melted in and she pulled a thick, white blanket out. Tucked it around Ryonne~. He put it around Adia.

  People got blankets, those bendable mattresses called leiwege that Zheien use, and gave every person one.

  Wally stuck in a flipper and put cans on the floor. It heated up in here. But, he put a head-sized cube that looked like ice near the three Bisillips. “This is for you, Pirad, Kirnonos, and Taredias. It will stay cold and you can be cold. I am surprised Dachsa Machs knew of these.”

  “Dachsa Machs was on the Council Of The 5th before my father was born.” Kirnonos clicked his face into a frozen smile. “She is my grandmother. These cannot be used as weapons.”

  Yamotenanten frowned, but didn’t say anything. He just watched as people got in their leiwege.

  Molly pulled at me. “We need to get some exercise. I—”

  Ryonne~ struggled to his feet and she caught him. “I must also.”

  “You need to rest. Too much exercise will make you worse! After all this excitement, you and Adia need to sleep.” She put him lying in their leiwege, and his wife shivered. Molly added another blanket and started to touch one of the hot cylinders.

  Irdaktin grabbed her hand! “No one can touch these!”

  “They aren’t going to be warm enough!”

  Ryonne~ took her hand. “Molly, is warm enough. We will be well. Ne concern. If we must, we can eat a small amount of meat—”

  “I can’t keep healing you from that! People die in mines from that! Hold each other and I’ll get more blankets.” She put his hand under the blanket. They both shivered. So she added another blanket on their heads. “I wish we had some gelsai!”

  One of the Elshar men startled. “Oh, we have slopfahi here!” He pulled out a green-furred animal the size of a German shepherd. Hugged it. “Come with me.” He led it over to Ryonne~ but held its giant snout.

  A lot of them came out of that box. Several of the Elshars went behind a screen with one apiece. I smelled something, then I didn’t. Eww!

  Molly smiled. “Some Elshars don’t believe in taking aandats. That’s how they deal with things.” What? Living toilets, her mind whispered.

  Oh, I felt sick! But Pier was that way. Guess I wanted to forget about that.

  The Bisillips visited behind the screen, too.

  But, Molly pulled out containers of fruit and veg. Irdaktin, Ry’nao and Ryonne~ identified most of them, then Greg and Briahh figured out the rest. Those, they took a bowl and ground up to make drinks for themselves and Yamotenanten. Pirad and Taredias did that for all the Biehshah and Bisillips. Some containers already had liquids that they mixed with them.

  I started to eat a second helping but Molly stopped me. “We can eat often, now. Oh, let me help you.” She hummed and I didn’t feel as full. I gained weight as I ate. She and Suma went around doing that for people. Deb helped the Wausen and Bisillips. So did Kia.

  But when Molly tried to get some weight on Adia and Ryonne~, it didn’t work. He sighed. “Molly, we will sleep.”

  “You’re too thin! It’s not fair!” She cried.

  He hugged her. “Ne this sorrow. Those injured by several Councillors can ne have healing.”

  Ry’nao pulled them all close. Sighed. “Yamotenanten, will the Council allow them healing, before they judge us?”

  “No.” He stared at him. His face changed more now. All of his faces stared at Ry’nao, but he just stared back. Finally, Yamotenanten looked away and Ry’nao pulled his leiwege near Ryonne~ and Adia’s. They really didn’t fit so well into one, so he put the other one they didn’t use under their legs and folded it around their blanket. The couple smiled at him. Then he sank into his and fell asleep with his hands on their arms.