Cattie's attraction to new boy Sond is more than fate because higher-level tech brought them together--but, why?

SETI and The New Boy

My first class, I rushed in and Ms. Patterson stood by the handsomest boy I'd ever seen! Blond curls and deep blue eyes. And, he smiled at me. "Cattie, have a seat. Today's going to be a very exciting day. Class, this is Sondalan, our newest student. Sit at Cattie's table. You'll help him with his PC, won't you?"

"Sure!" I got it out of my shiny pink backpack with the cat. It's got a new rip at the seam. Oh, dear.

He sat by me and got his out. "Good morning."

"Good morning!"

"Today, instead of Georgia History, we're going to see history in the making! Here's our feed from The Southerner. They've got a variety of news services going, and I'll pick the most interesting one. You get to vote on which one that is!" She put the feed up. I voted for CNN but most of 'em went for NewsMax. I didn't roll my eyes. Just get me more persecution.

The new boy held my hand. Our classroom vanished!

Through the woods was a straight road to Gothos from here, an ancient road with many carvings. His hobby was archaeology, and he knew something about people here.

"We found a server that was centuries old—"

"You did not touch it, with your hands?"

"No, I am—was a biome tech, and I was in a suit. I took many precautions. My hub engineer did the dead cell work—"

"Do you know the history of this place?

"Long ago, this world was the center of the Star Cluster Elshar Gosa. They were very technologically advanced, as was all of old Elshar. But this colony was a group of 200 worlds. There was war. A hundred worlds wanted to enslave the other hundred. Both sides believed they had the weapons to put an end to the conflict without destroying their worlds. But they were wrong. All the weapons deployed at once, and most of the worlds were destroyed, along with their stars. Now, one star system remains. If those weapon plans survived, there could be another war. Gosa survived, but it is a primitive world. Its secrets could destroy all the worlds in this region. There are twenty. Nineteen are Thordes colonies."

Suddenly, this struggle to get offplanet ended. Thordes are peaceful people, much like Zheien. I had to stop them! I had to stop Toman's Team from trading whatever data they recovered!

A holo formed in the net. This lady appeared to have twin arms and legs with twin fingers and twin toes! She spoke Zheien. She glowed aqua. "Are you the Keeper? You have knowledge of the fate of our server." She read my memories, instantly, as if reading a book. She also read the others and I saw all their memories. The country road faded.

I appeared in the biomes. Toman Hah dropped a biome, with a crash. "What are you doing here?"

I glowed aqua. The voice was hers, but she used my appearance and knowledge of language. "You planned to bring more slavers here. Wealth. Power. This will be Taken. I warned Gosa at the end of the War, "Do not try to retrieve this knowledge. Be happy with each other. Live in peace, as Gosa did for millennia. You shall have history. Not wealth. Not power."

Suddenly, I saw the data in Toman's database change. Gone were all the weapon plans and strategies of war. Instead was detailed history, a lot more history than he was able to extract. Holos of life after the War. Happy villages rose from the dust of the destroyed cities. Buried tech vanished, never to be resurrected, but buildings rebuilt themselves, and so did the old server! It blended with the new Hub and this complete history of the War and after the War filled half of the Hub! He would not be trading the database. It was completely available to all Hubs in the Unified and the Alliance.

All the slavers vanished from Gothos. Voices rose in cheers as families were reunited.

Sond and I wore DS uniforms. We stood there! Sond paled, but we walked to the Council Chambers.

Surprised men stood as we entered. Both of us greeted them in their language. Some of the men were the same from the future Council, but their loud thoughts told me Toman's Team wasn't here. No DS people. This is long before that!

Sond gave a long speech about the benefits of Alliance and Unified trade. "Now that slavers left, you may consider the Unified Treaty advantageous." He's 12, like me?

They had a lot of questions! Just as he finished a complicated one, and named many trades that they could do with their surpluses, a diplomat walked in and bowed. "Sond, I am here to continue your negotiations, and I have a treaty for them to consider. Berto sent me."

The Leader looked at me. "Did Berto send you to us, to heal our server?"

I shook all over as the aqua color drained from my skin. "I am the Elder Of Gosa, and I must leave you now. All who wish to learn from me can meet me in the Alb System in a few days. Please listen to this man. He wants what is good for our people." I bowed and gave a very formal greeting in a dialect they only used for certain holidays.

We sat in class. I gasped. Yellow sparkles rose when I put my head in my hand. Memories kept coming from that other future, and from Gosa, a prov of old Elshar. Too fast. Sond's hand was cold in mine. He's feeling it, too.

"Nice trick! Did you smuggle that outa drama class?"

Oh, that Ezra Tench! He said something dirty under his breath about my gasp, and his friends giggled.

Brian Black got mad. "Stop it, Ezra. She's sick! Look at her!"

I did feel green.

Ms. Patterson handed me a hall pass. "Sondalan, would you take her to the Nurses' Office? You know where to go, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll take her." He packed up our backpacks and put both on his shoulder, then picked me up. I didn't think I could walk! His arms were cold, too. Does he feel this bad?

Brian ran ahead and opened the door. "Hope you feel better soon, Cattie!"

But, he walked up to the rest rooms and ducked in the Boys door. We stepped into a red-violet ship. "I need a healer for an Earthan!"

"Bae, bring her here!" A large bed appeared in the middle of this huge space! They put me on a flat pillow that they bent to hold me up.

I clung to his hand. "Sond."

"I nae leave, Cattie, nae for a moment! O, Pie! He is very skilled, Love."

"Love? How long do you know her, my son?"

"See her and tell me she is nae to die! See my memories!"

He showed both Pas and his fa.

Another man ran to us. "Are you a Councillor?" What's that?

The Emperor! I knew things from the future, but not how to greet him!

"Maiden, I am 7th Galaxy Minister, nae Emperor, and I require nae Protocols! Lie still and let Pie see you. Earthans oft come to us with Gifts, and I think you have a great one. Peat, know you of conditions on Gosa?"

"Gosa! I nae know of them! There is nae Gosa in the Alliance or Unified." He sat on the bed. Also wore a gray sash with pins, so he's a galactic minister, too! Biome techs don't know this stuff! I started one course in Diplomatics and quietly switched to Biomes when I couldn't learn it all. And, friends died. Sond collapsed and relatives took him away. MarKu was taken by slavers. His father died. Lots of my MarKuan friends weren't in class the next day and I couldn't handle it. My friend Jeldas stayed and I hoped he'd recite Courtship to me, but he died in his Challenge that year. When I had my Challenge in Biomes I only made biome tech. My first assignment was on an Elshar team with friends I thought were okay, but we went to Gosa and they just wanted to exploit that old server we revived.

Peatabus put a twin-fingered hand on my forehead and I let him see all that happened on Gosa. Berto knew because Sond has a family mind link with his fa, and he showed Berto, who sends teams places. He sent that Fhiahan diplomat who ended up cleaning my team leader's mess! That fella ran to Berto and Peatabus.

I shook all over. Pie's red-gold eyes opened very wide! His flat fingers shook as he put them across my forehead. "We need Pirad. Maiden, he looks very different than us." He showed me and I nodded. I saw him in Rainbow when he helped us.

Pirad was half my width at the shoulders, and had two joints for every one I had! I made myself look at him. Shiny green, and he reached for my forehead. His yellow eyes had green irises like mine. Orange pupils, and the three sets flew apart. "You are very frightened. Perhaps I should come back later--"

I pulled his cold hand onto my forehead. Knowledge flowed out of me, as if my blood were going with it! He warmed. But I put cold back into him. He revived and white light flashed! I felt fine again, and Pirad was gone.

"Our minds are too close!" Sond got really upset.

"But, we can't marry, at 12! Georgia law barely allows it at 16, and you have to see a judge! My friend got pregnant, and they said no!" I sobbed.

Another man came, an orange Zheien. The twin-fingered ones are Zheien. "My son, I think we should speak with King Herda."

"My liege!" Before he could spring to his feet, the man grabbed his shoulders.

"Nae bow, my son. Rest. Ah, he has time. Eae Fa Herda."

Audience With A King

I expected someone in purple robes with long silver curls. This man was middle-aged with dark curls, and orange skin. He looked straight at me, and my mouth went dry. "Maiden, I wish nae to frighten you. Pie, are they linked?"

"My liege, eae."

"Are they well to wait? Tenason fears for his bae!" His brown eyes opened wider than an Earthan's can.

Pie gently touched our foreheads. Frowned as he rubbed his fingers together and yellow sparkles made a cloud, from the hand on Sond. "I think Sondalan can nae. Both need rest, and can nae leave one another unless they marry."

"Do your parents know, Child?"

"No. I was at school, and by now, someone's called to let them know we left. I don't know what happened—well, did we save 20 worlds? We didn't sign anything!" I cried.

"Daughter, nae can sign a treaty without much discussion! What happened to you both defies explanation! You did save Gosa. Slavers vanished, and we can nae know what happened to them or if they return. Gosa is in the First, and King Theaspaura sent Asvarae, Diplomat Of Fhiah to speak with them, since he has detailed knowledge of their needs. He saw his future!

"We can help you explain to your parents, the part we can explain. Soon, Earth will know of this ship. Perhaps my bae will be among the first to speak to your people. I fear for you, and for your parents, in this shock! We can nae tell them of your role on Gosa. Is there one who can advise on Alliance Law?"

A man in a navy business suit came and bowed from the waist. Blond and blue eyed. "I am Tan Links, and I am a lawyer of Areon. I know Alliance Law and I am studying Earthan child laws. By Alliance rules, local law has precedence. How old are you, Miss?"

I rubbed tears off my face. "Twelve. My daddy'll kill him!" I held his face against my cheek. "I love him and I want to marry Sond so he won't die! I was 19 when we married, in that other future. He didn't mean to link up with me!"

"Young lady, I advised over fifty couples this morning already, and several were your age. When Queen Adia shows someone his future, if there was a mind link, they have it. I saw one Elshar and five Thordes who had this situation, and the rest were Zheien. The Elshar decided to wait, but he is pale and his healer, Ket, thinks they will have to marry soon. They have to stay together. Earthans do not have telepathy, so they cannot have this situation. I will explain to her parents that Zheien have celibate marriages."

King Herda looked even more worried. "Will he harm her, Pie? She cannot block him, without telepathy!"

Then I remembered something else. Zheien can get you pregnant without doing what we do behind closed doors. And, they can't live on Earth long. They breathe nitrogen and Earth's atmosphere is 4/5 nitrogen. We'd get brain damage breathing 4/5 oxygen. For both of us, we need 1/5. "If you give me an aandat, I'll get telepathy. I know how to block."

Pie gave me a green cube. The bottom opened and it fell on my ankles. Shot up me! "Daughter, you should stay in bed. They should nae move fast!" Then he showed me a birth control prog that's 100% reliable until I'm older. I agreed to it. Pregnancy at 12 is very risky for mom and baby, I knew from my friend.

Another healer came, in white robes. "Then, we have excuse for her parents. Be~saech wrote a prog for us to have a 'clinic' with tech that Earthans will accept. Maiden, meet my robot. Goes designed him. Pas' cloned ba will be the 'doctor' in the temporary embassy Tan bought for us to use. We have a means to 'fax' medical records to the Nurse's Office at your school, and we did. We told the nurse that Sondalan became frightened and carried her there."

A white robot walked over and bowed. In a robotic voice, it said, "Hello, I am a medical robot. May I hold you? I can make bio-metric evaluations of your health." Its face had a cartoon line drawing of eyes that blinked and a smile.

Pie giggled. "Nae now. She needs rest. Let this couple marry. We can explain later."

Herda frowned. "Pie, we must have her parents' permission."

Mr. Links shook his head. "She is 12 years. The Alliance does not specify a minimum age for young people to marry, and many Elshars do, even before age 12, and they do not have to have permission. All that is required is your permission, since you are Sondalan's ruler. You may give her citizenship. I will create papers for her parents to sign, if they give permission for them to marry. If they have fear that she is pregnant, perhaps they will sign."

"Then, Miss, I name you Citizen MarKu, and give you both permission for this marriage. I saw Sondalan's memories of your marriage in MarKu of Rainbow, and how happy you were! I will declare a festival in Bel Tandros, and ask one of my diplomats there to bring delights from it to you.

"This morning, our Council Of Alb discussed many things, among them, to permit a couple to recite Petitions in their Outer Circles if one is unwell. I agreed to this. Come to my Outer Circle and see your festival!"

We appeared on orange sand. People gathered and their happiness tingled on me! I smiled. Behind them were buildings like giant jewels pointing at the sky! Each was a rainbow color, and a diamond-like building was the white Temple.

I wore a beautiful, lacy white wedding gown! Oh, it had jewels of all different colors sewn into it! Impossibly soft. And a gossamer veil.

Sond knelt. "Catherine Hilde Wall Of Earth, Elder Of Gosa, I love you! I, Sondalan, Diplomat of Fhiah, recite this Petition of Marriage Without Courtship because I violated your mind so." He sobbed.

"Sondalan, my love, Diplomat of Fhiah, it is only violation if one feels violated. I do not. I was as hungry for the gentle touch of your mind as you were for mine. I, Catherine Hilde Wall Of Earth, Elder Of Gosa, love you with all my DS heart, and I want to be your wife, to love, honor and cherish you as my beloved husband, for the rest of our lives, however short. Step with me into Elohaia, my love, for I have taken my temple vows and I am ready."

"Eae, my love? Then my happiness shall lead us there!"

Then I realized I recited it exactly as I did in Rainbow! I remember taking my Temple vows, but it didn't happen!

Herda put his arms around us. "Children, titles are earned. You both learned in the Temple and remember this. Eae, you may use your titles. Now your Unified records show it." He waved them up.

I smiled. "Does this mean I can quit school? I would like a Zheien tutor, to learn what I want. The classes I'm—I am, pardons—my classes lack meaning. I wish to teach Gosan history, and learn how to do artworks from there, so I may teach them. In Rainbow, Sond wove beautiful tapestries, and I taught, and we enjoyed our life there!"

"Daughter, you may have a Zheien tutor. Our world moved to Alb with his suns. There are now 25 Rainbow Unwell Colonies."

"Molly left Earth already?"

Herda looked to Goes. He had a sad expression and tears in his huge brown eyes. "Molly is in her school. Pas left to teach her, for she heals many in her healer's office now. Her parents are cruel to her! Like you, she is 12, and like you, her husband is Zheien, and she needs his mind to help her in her healing, for her talent is great! She has telepathy this morning and sees futures for certain persons! Molly can nae leave."

"Wow! I have classes with Brian, who's one of her friends. I never knew she had bad parents. But, I don't know 'em very well. I met her at a regional art competition and she beat me in one of the prelims. She's so talented! And, modest. But, since her parents are bad, she can just leave with someone, right?"

"Nae! When we reveal ourselves, there will be accusations that we steal slaves! We must take great care with all situations, including yours." He took my hand.

I held it. King Herda wasn't there now. Gotta be busy. MarKu has 70 decillion people! "I don't know what to say to my parents. They're reasonable people and good parents, but they won't like the idea of me being married. Oh, Sond!"

He held my other hand. "I will try my best to convince your fa that I mean nae decadence. Goes, since he is in our future, will he see memories also?"

"We nae know. All so far included in Adia's memories, see them, even when Adia nae showed them to all." As that diplomat from Fhiah did!

"But, Queen Adia nae showed me a future. My Link woke and one in it told me I should register for classes at Cattie's school. Fa could ne find her who spoke. I had direction, which classes to choose."

Peatabus came back to us. "There was one other Earthan who came to the ship without seeing memories. One dreamed of our ship and came. Brie Witherspoon. Know you her, Miss?"

"Does she go to Howard?"

"Nae, Midtown High."

"Can you show me who spoke?" He put a yellow hand on Sond's head. His blue eyes turned black! An Elshar Zheien. They have the changing eyes. "She is a Councillor! That explains your experience. Tech of a much higher level. I show Pirad, and he knows her. She is of the Third. Nae speak of this, or show it." Peatabus shuddered.

Sond paled and Fa put him on his lap. "Rest, Bae. I hold you."

Pirad came to us. "I wish to collect your memories later. I can make clones. Perhaps two wish to stay on Earth."

Mr. Links nodded. "Earth does not have laws concerning clones. If one stays, you may leave. But we cannot send a clone to be abused, so in Molly's situation, a clone cannot help her."

"If we both go to my parents, they'll believe me." I smiled. "I can leave, and Sond and I can go home with you, Fa! Maybe they'll come with us." Then, I remembered how MarKu, a planet with 70 decillion people, got taken by slavers." I looked at First Prince Goes. He was very sick, in Rainbow. I felt awe, to see him at the peak of his distinguished career. Everyone in Rainbow loved him, even people who weren't from MarKu. "Uh, slavers won't come, will they?

"Nae! We have protections from the Biehshah! Pirad helps us. His people were on the 2nd Level, which is above the 3rd. Our tech level is that below the Councilors. This is why Cevit Ion asked if you were one. We can nae discuss this more, nae even when you are alone with one another. We have to use caution."

I nodded. Sond can help me with that. Zheien diplomats have all sorts of training for mental discipline, to keep secrets even under torture.

Across the ship, I saw my former teammates, and seethed. "My Liege, there are Robin Kah, Tana and Tomin Hah. They were slavers. Berto severed them and sent Ih Esta after them."

And, they saw me. Their blue eyes went black.

Goes walked over there and brought a TS Inspector to look at their trades. They're 12 like me, but traders on Elshar worlds start early. All their parents stood with 'em. He got mad when he inspected all of their records. "All of you have illegal slaves! To Och Pauchu with you!" He ported them all!

Terminals of all shapes and sizes filled my lap!

A master trader came in his cobalt blue robes. An orange Zheien. He bowed. "I am M'Naga, Master Trader Of Yeff. Wish you my help?"

"Yes! I want to free all of these slaves! Can we send them to Rainbow?" I was afraid to touch these terminals. Sometimes slavers rig traps for anyone who gets their terminals.

"O, ne concern for traps! TS Inspectors have progs to clean them of rogues. Ea, I will bring ships from Fhiah for them."

"Have I got enough nesfa and tesfa je for 'em?"

"Miss, our ships and portals are modified. Ne Zheien needs herbs for travel now. Pirad improved our tech greatly!"

I smiled. At least they won't suffer trying to get to healers! With his help, we sent them on their way fast. But, they aren't in the terminals, except for a few. A diplomat will take them to Alb in a portal, still in stasis in the alt storage. It's tempting to take them out here, but traumatic on them to be thawed, then have to travel and see new healers in the next place. He explained fast and Sond helped me. Most of 'em are in other galaxies, but instead of a week or two, it'll take days. It felt good, to know that these slaves are on their way to healing, and freedom!

M'Naga helped me find the owners of tens of thousands of terminals. Personal cubes and herb pyramids. Pocket doctors. There were a lot of messages from grateful families.

As many thousands of slaves I just sent to the 25 Rainbows, there were tens of thousands of bodies in stasis. Healers will try to revive 'em all.

I spoke to twenty of 'em and felt utterly exhausted.

"M'Naga, she can nae bear. Can she record a holo for many?" Goes helped us while he talked to the programmer!

"Ea, and I and many friends tell them of her happiness, to find owners!"

I recorded an awkward vid telling them how sorry I was that their dear one went to slavers, and my hope that healers can help them. He suggested I make one for the return of terminals, one for possessions of someone who died in slavery, and one for possessions of someone who's alive and going to healers, so I did three. It was less awkward. But I thought of so many friends I found dead, when I went to Sigan Mas, that big space college.

M'Naga contacted every one of them. Many were just starting school there! Zheien start at 14. One was Jeldas from Fhiah. I looked at my husband and heat crept into my face.

"Dear wife, contact him! He must know of his peril, that perhaps he nae dies!"

So, we did. He was with Ad Beni, who advises a lot of diplomatic students. I shared memories with him.

He frowned. "My son, we must send you home, and any other students in these prophecies! In the past, I encountered some who saw futures. We discussed what to do. There were many proctors who felt we should do nothing. But, after we saw students die, we saw increases in slaver activity here in Sigan Mas. We decided to try to change these futures. From that time, we warned those who saw their future to avoid places in which they had dangers. Kings Of Zheiea advised them to change their occupations. We tracked what happened, over centuries. All who had futures and avoided young death contributed greatly to their colonies and worlds. Is rare that this happens, but when it does, slaver activity is reduced. You must change your occupation and nae travel."

The student contacted his family and they came to get him.

Ad Beni asked to see my memories. He saw many more students than I thought I could remember! None of them had died yet. This was a lot more personal than sending thousands of slaves to Alb. I studied with every one of these students.

We contacted a lot of 'em who hadn't left for Sigan Mas yet. All of the Zheien and Thordes listened. Elshars didn't, for the most part. Even Ad Beni couldn't convince 'em. But, I wondered if I was wrong about how 'nice' they were. Even slavers have good qualities. All people do. But, I've done my part.