7

For the next one and a half æra[[1]](#ftn1), Ilen-Saa'an tried to continue her normal routine. She awakened at sixth _u'ne[[2]](#ftn2), had her usual chu'anso[[3]](#_ftn3) of _kazhina hash and bersahn root tea, took a quick dip in the bathing pool, dressed and tied her long hair back, put on her riding jacket, said her good-bye's, and headed off to work. Ilen-Saa'an's usual work shift was between the eighth and eighteenth u'ne—since she usually slept between the twenty-sixth and sixth u'ne, she generally had time for other things she wanted to do.

Although Ilen-Saa'an was comfortable with her routine life, lately she felt bored for some reason. One night after work, when she was on her way home, a word wormed its way into her thoughts. Try as she might to push it aside, it refused to budge—it was so annoyingly stubborn, she felt compelled to do something about it. Ilen-Saa'an called up a new destination on her bike's nav system, chose the quickest route, and changed course. A short while later, Ilen-Saa'an found an unused space to set down, and put her bike in park mode. Ahead of her the street led to an area of stately buildings in walled compounds, where security forces scrutinized everyone and everything. She could hardly believe that she had actually been inside the newest of those stately buildings, and by invitation no less! Ilen-Saa'an put her elbow on the control grip, and rested her head against her hand.

“Craig…why have you turned my life upside down?! I am just a lowly Fourth Daughter in a lowly Third Circle House—I knew my place, but then you came. You are the First Son of a House in the Diplomatic Circle, you are important, you…you are an off-worlder_! I am no one, barely even a face in the crowd, yet…I…oh, by the All Mother! I…I cannot get you out of my thoughts! What strange power do you possess?! Ah, this must be what it is like to become unhinged!" Ilen-Saa'an sat there on her bike, agonizing over her dilemma, when suddenly a wild idea occurred to her. “_Dare I…reach out to him?"

“I don't know, Dad," Craig said, staring at his glass, “this is all kinda weird to me. I mean…geezers, I…I never expected all this to happen!"

William sat listening to his son try to talk about his recent experiences. He knew it wasn't easy for Craig to discuss such things with anyone, and the fact that his son was talking to him about it, was a good indication of how much it was bothering Craig. His son told him about the trip to Nus-Sava'en, the ne-char'oo championship game, what happened at The Drift, and he even tried to talk about what he felt for Bren-Khy'an, Tsel-Ami'an, and especially Ilen-Saa'an.

“I think I can see why you might feel that way about Bren-Khy'an, son. On one hand, you feel sorry for her because of what was done to make her what she is. Lady Nemi-Mer'ana told your mother and I some about the Che'maht Sahn'rah—pretty hair-raising, if you ask me. On the other hand, Bren-Khy'an is, I admit, a rather nice looking woman, plus she's sure of herself, she can handle tough situations, and there's no questioning her loyalty. Other than what she's capable of doing ought to scare the daylights out of any reasonable person, what's not to like about her?"

“Yeah, Khy'an is a decent gal, once you get to know her, and that's not easy to do. Some things she's open about, but some stuff—particularly anything even remotely personal, she clams up tighter than an airlock," Craig agreed.

“Well, be real careful with her, son. She is supposed to be your bodyguard, not your girlfriend."

Craig heaved a sigh and said, “Yeah, I know. I still care about her, though."

“Have you told her that you do?"

“Yeah, several times. She keeps telling me that I shouldn't, but…"

“But what, son?"

“Well, I think she kinda appreciates it, in her own way."

After a minute or so, William asked, “What about that young lady that was here, what was her name again?"

“Ilen-Saa'an."

“What about her? You seem to have taken quite a liking towards her."

“Yeah, Saa'an…she's just…totally…I mean…"

Hmm, I guess you must really like her, you haven't been this flustered since you had that crush on the little Romanian girl back in, what, elementary school?"

Craig blushed with embarrassment.

“Yeah…Yulia…fifth grade. Geez, Dad, she was a bat—all of the guys were crazy over her!"

William chuckled and shook his head.

“I remember when she came over to help you study for a big math test. She was a sweet kid, and a smart little cookie. Whatever happened to her, do you know?"

Craig sighed a little and said, “She's going to the Fleet Academy on a full scholarship, last I heard."

“Figures. So what about this Ilen-Saa'an? She works at some restaurant, doesn't she?"

“Yeah, she's like an assistant manager or something." Craig took another drink of his juice. “She's got three older sisters and a couple of brothers, and the rest of her relatives all live in the same little apartment complex."

“That seems typical, from what I've learned. These folks are very clannish, and their families are tightly knitted."

Craig remembered what Bren-Khy'an and Tsel-Ami'an told him the night they were on Nus-Sava'en.

“Not always."

William furrowed his brows a little and asked, “What do you mean?"

“Khy'an's family won't have anything to do with her, it's like she doesn't exist anymore." Seeing the somewhat surprised look on his dad's face, Craig added, “She tried to tell me about it, but Ami'an had to take over and tell me the rest—she seems to know a lot of things."

“Who's this Ami'an?" William asked his son.

“Oh, Tsel-Ami'an, she's one of the Khea, they're a small ethnic group. They look the same as everyone else, except they have snow white hair instead of black. Ami'an's kinda special—she sees things before they happen. Saa'an says Ami'an is never wrong about stuff."

“That's…interesting. You seem to be learning a lot about these folks. Are you bucking for my job, son?" William teased.

“Nah, I…"

When Craig trailed off and got a blank look on his face, William suddenly got concerned.

“Craig? What is it? Are you okay, son?"

Craig slowly raised a hand, giving a gesture to wait.

“It's Saa'an, she's…she's…near."

“Craig? Can you hear me? I…I wish to see you, but…the risk! I cannot simply enter—it is forbidden, and you cannot leave your walls without your guard! No one knows that I have come here—if my Honored Mother were to find out, or worse, if my Honored Grandmother were to know…"

“Saa'an! Where are you?" Craig asked.

“I am not far; I can see your embassy from where I am sitting."

“Geezers, Saa'an, dad could tell the guards at the gate to let you in…"

“No! There would be a record!"

“Uh, couldn't you just…"

“NO!! The others of my kind would know instantly!"

“How? I don't understand…"

“We…we can sense it. It is not easy to explain."

“Okay, well, maybe another time on that. So, what's up? Are you okay?"

“I…I was through with my work for this night, and was on my way home, but…you were in my thoughts, and…"

“And you wanted to swing by and see what I was up to," Craig sent with warm amusement.

“You have done something to me, Craig Nicolini of Terra, I swear it!" Ilen-Saa'an sent in exasperation. “Your name sticks in my mind and will not budge! No doubt Ami'an would find this amusing…"

“Is she with you now?"

“No, she is home…I should be home as well, but…Oh, no! I nearly forgot—my Honored Grandmother is dining with us this night! I am sorry, Craig, I must go!"

“Geezers, Saa'an! Okay, be safe going home! Let me know when I can call you…"

“Craig…I…"

“Yeah, I know…me, too."

Ilen-Saa'an sped home as fast as she dared, hoping to not draw the attention of the city's security force. She barely made it home in time to be there before her grandmother arrived.

“Saa'an—you are nearly late! Hurry and make yourself ready, your Honored Grandmother will be here shortly! Move, child!" her mother commanded.

“Yes, Honored Mother!" Ilen-Saa'an acknowledged quickly as she dashed to her room.

Stripping off her work clothes, Ilen-Saa'an hurriedly selected what she hoped was appropriate attire for this occasion. She paused only for a second to look at herself in the full-length mirror, and just as quickly pushed away the thought of how Craig might think of her form.

“No time for that…"

Ilen-Ada'an made it a point to have a meal with one of her daughter's family every full cycle of nan-Raleen, as a way of keeping tabs on everyone in House Ilen. At one hundred sixty-one Standard Mûr Zhæn years old, Ilen-Ada'an was ancient by Terran reckoning[[4]](#_ftn4) and still spry for her age. Although her hair had long ago turned gray, Ilen-Ada'an's eyes were still sharp and her willowy body[[5]](#_ftn5) still moved with grace and dignity—albeit at a slower pace. Ilen-Ada'an was a stern, proud woman, and she had no tolerance for fools, sloppiness, or poor behavior—she demanded respect, that proprieties be followed, and tradition observed. She was the current Head of House Ilen, and likely would continue to be for the next three or four decades. Ilen-Jaa'an, Saa'an's mother, was Ilen-Ada'an's fifth and youngest daughter, which put Saa'an at the very bottom in the hierarchy of House Ilen.

“Honored Mother," Ilen-Jaa'an sent, bowing low when Ilen-Ada'an entered the home, escorted by her personal assistant, Wenu-Kau'ta, indicating that this visit was not purely social.

“Jaa'an," the elder Ilen sent curtly. “We shall have a cup of tea first, before we dine."

“As you wish, Honored Mother," Jaa'an acknowledged.

Requesting a cup of tea before the meal meant that there was House Business to be discussed, and Jaa'an hoped it would not be one particular subject. The rest of the family bowed deeply as they greeted Ilen-Ada'an when she passed by.

Pausing for a moment by her last grandchild, Ilen-Ada'an said aloud the one thing Jaa'an did not want to hear—“Saa'an, attend."

Ilen-Saa'an nearly panicked.

“As our Honored Grandmother wills," Ilen-Saa'an said, bowing deeply again, knowing that the eyes of her family were upon her.

Ilen-Saa'an dutifully fell in behind her mother, and the three of them proceeded into Ilen-Jaa'an's private office.

Ilen-Ada'an took the seat behind the desk, making her daughter and granddaughter sit in the two chairs in front of it. Wenu-Kau'ta, a male in his thirties and a distant relative on Ilen-Ada'an's father's side, stood politely to the left and slightly behind the elder Ilen, with a handheld computer. Dnan-Mat'ta, Ilen-Jaa'an's mate and Saa'an's father, brought in a tray with a pot of tea and cups. After pouring for the three, he stood behind and between his mate and youngest daughter.

“You may leave us," Ilen-Ada'an sent to Dnan-Mat'ta, with a small dismissive gesture.

“Respectfully, I will stay. Saa'an is also my child—if you have business with her, then I will stand with her," Dnan-Mat'ta sent in return, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

The elder Ilen narrowed her eyes and sent, “As I recall, you were in the military."

“I am still on Reserve Status."

“Then you are accustomed to taking orders," Ilen-Ada'an sent with a hint of iciness.

“Lawful orders from military grades above my own, yes," Dnan-Mat'ta fired back, his own eyes narrowing.

“Mat'ta, please_…" Ilen-Jaa'an pleaded softly, “…there is no need to make this matter more difficult than it has to be_."

Softening his expression and twining the end of his tail around Jaa'an's, Mat'ta sent, “Saa'an may be old enough to follow her own path without us holding her hands, but she is our youngest, and we both still have the right and obligation to stand with her, and if asked, to speak on her behalf."

Jaa'an smiled softly—her mate was correct, as usual. Most times, Mat'ta was content to let Jaa'an handle her mother, but when it came to his children, he would not let Ilen-Ada'an—or anyone else for that matter—demean them. Mat'ta knew why Jaa'an's mother had singled out Saa'an, it was because of the off-worlder. He and Jaa'an had discussed the situation between themselves at length in private, which resulted in Jaa'an eventually softening her opinion on the matter.

Ilen-Ada'an drummed the fingers of her right hand a few times on the desk, took a sip of her tea and said, “Very well, then, stay if you like." She took another sip and then set the cup down. “What of this between you and this off-worlder, Granddaughter? I do not recall anyone granting you permission to make arrangements of your own with a male from a House we do not know, and especially a high ranking off-worlder! Have you no shame, child?!"

Her grandmother's words bit deep—at first Saa'an hung her head, but feeling her father's hand resting reassuringly on her shoulder, a measure of defiance bubbled up within.

“Honored Grandmother, as I have said, the incident with Craig Nicolini in the Merchant District was a misunderstanding—he did not, at that time, know our ways well enough. I reacted no differently than any other would in the same situation. He made the Penance Offer, I could hardly refuse!"

“Yes, yes, I have been told about that," Ilen-Ada'an sent with a frown. “It is after that bit of misfortune that has my attention, child. You sent a message to the off-worlder."

“What are you accusing our daughter of, Mother?" Jaa'an asked pointedly.

Ilen-Ada'an calmly took another sip of her tea, flicked a sideways glance at Saa'an, and then looked coldly at Jaa'an.

“Your lowest requested a private meeting with the off-worlder male. Play the message, Kau'ta."

Wenu-Kau'ta called up the message on the hand-held, using the built-in holo-projector to display it so that all could see it easily. While the message played in its entirety, Ilen-Ada'an closely watched the reactions of her family members.

Saa'an was nearly in a panic.

“How did she get my message to Craig?!"

With a smug look on her face, Ilen-Ada'an sent, “I do not make idle accusations—dare your lowest deny this in the face of proof?"

Jaa'an and Mat'ta both looked at Saa'an—her mother's expression bordered between disbelief and exasperation, while her father's was more compassionate.

“Explain this to us, Saa'an," Mat'ta asked his daughter gently.

Saa'an felt her chest tighten, but she forced herself to be calm enough so that she could explain her actions.

“I…I wanted to express my thanks for the hospitality and to…to say that the way between us was cleansed…"

“As was proper," Mat'ta interjected his agreement, casting a sharp glance towards Ilen-Ada'an.

“…but…but I was curious, I wanted to know why he put himself between me and his guard! I…I dared not speak too freely before his parents…"

“The na'suan and his family know our words?" Mat'ta asked gently, raising an eyebrow.

“His guard, she interpreted," Saa'an replied.

“That, I suppose, is understandable—I am curious myself why an off-worlder of his family's status would do such a thing. I am grateful that our youngest was not ended that night, at any rate, do you not agree, beloved?" Mat'ta asked his mate.

“Of course, no parent would want that," Jaa'an agreed.

There was a moment of silence, and then Ilen-Ada'an asked bluntly, “So, did you meet the off-worlder? You were away a whole night on two occasions, returning very late each time."

“Saa'an is not a youngling, Mother, those where her time off from her employer. There are no limitations on what Saa'an may do on her free time. You know her position within this House well enough, you have never taken much interest in her life—why do you do so now?" Jaa'an demanded carefully.

Ilen-Ada'an tapped a finger on the handle of her cup, and then she looked Jaa'an in the eye, narrowing her own.

“Three nights ago, I had an unexpected visitor—the Head of House Tsel. We had a very interesting conversation."

Saa'an felt as if her heart would jump out of her chest.

“Ami'an…you convinced your Grandmother to speak to mine!"

On the agreed upon night, Ilen-Ada'an, along with Ilen-Jaa'an and her mate Dnan-Mat'ta and Ilen-Saa'an, met outside the family's compound with Tsel-Vsa'an, Tsel-Una'an, and Tsel-Ami'an. Ilen-Ada'an. Ilen-Ada'an and Tsel-Vsa'an greeted each other according to custom as Heads of unrelated houses, as was proper. Keeping the situation as neutral as possible, a commercial transport of sufficient size for the seven of them was hired, splitting the cost equally between the two Houses. They rode together in near silence to their destination—the Terran embassy. Along the way, Ilen-Saa'an reached out to Craig.

“We are on our way. Are you certain that your parents will see us?"

“Hey, Saa'an—yeah, it's all been cleared; the guards at the gate will be expecting you. How are you doing?"

“Well enough, I suppose. I…I hope…"

“It'll be okay, Saa'an. Khy'an's here—what could possibly go wrong?" Craig sent with a smirk.

Ilen-Saa'an nearly laughed out loud, but managed to hold it back.

As Craig had said, the guards at the embassy's main gate were expecting the members of House Ilen and House Tsel. After verifying their I.D.s and logging their entrance, a peculiar individual wearing a black uniform announced that she would escort the group to the residence's sitting room. Along the way between the compound's wall and the building, their escort paused momentarily to address Ilen-Saa'an.

“You have been here one time before, if I am not mistaken. I saw you at a distance, but I remember your markings—you are Ilen-Saa'an, a friend of Craig's."

“Yes, I am she," Ilen-Saa'an sent out of habit.

After a few awkward seconds, the alien female in the black uniform asked softly with a puzzled look, “Are you not allowed to speak?"

Somewhat startled, Ilen-Saa'an spoke aloud, “You did not hear me?"

“Ah, the telepathy—no, unfortunately I don't have the ability to. I'm afraid we need to use old-fashioned speech."

“My apologies, I did not know," Ilen-Saa'an said. “You seem to understand our words well enough, though."

“I am quite fluent in the language of Tu'an, yes, both spoken and written."

By now their escort had the full attention of the entire group. Holding her hands out with palms up, Ilen Saa'an said aloud who she was.

Returning the gesture, the alien female said, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Ilen-Saa'an of House Ilen. Craig speaks quite highly of you."

With a puzzled look, Ilen-Saa'an said, “You…look familiar, I have seen you somewhere before."

“That is because you and I have," Tsel-Ami'an said, coming beside her friend. “The image in the gallery, remember?"

Just as Ilen-Saa'an's eyes widened in recognition, the alien female said, “I'm Fey, Fey Dark Fire."

“By the twin moons, I have lived to see!" Tsel-Ami'an said with a smile, tinged with awe. Cautiously she extended her hand and lightly touched Fey's cheek. “Remarkable! Forgive my curiosity, Craig spoke kindly of you. I am Tsel-Ami'an, Ilen-Saa'an's sister-friend."

Smiling, Fey's android avatar lightly touched Tsel-Ami'an's cheek in the same manner.

“You are one of the Khea, if I'm not mistaken," Fey stated.

“You are correct," Tsel-Ami'an acknowledged. Turning to the others, she said, “This is one of the Terrans' machine entities, well, a part of her, as I understand it. Her name is Fey Dark Fire, she inhabits the computer of her ship, but she also has this machine form that can move about and do things as any other person."

Upon learning the identity of the alien female, all save Tsel-Ami'an took a step back out of apprehension.

“Now you are being rude, Mistress Dark Fire will not harm anyone, is that not so?"

“I have no wish to harm anyone, as long as no one tries to harm my crew or those I care about," Fey agreed with a smile.

“Well, no different than any of us. Shall we continue? We are expected, and we should not keep our hosts waiting," Tsel-Ami'an urged.

She made it a point to walk arm-in-arm with Fey's android avatar the rest of the way.

Suos-Fre'an greeted the members of House Ilen and House Tsel when they entered the embassy's residence, and gave similar instructions as she had to Ilen-Saa'an the first time she was there. Upon entering the sitting room, Suos-Fre'an made the introductions in the appropriate order, starting with Lady Nemi-Mer'ana, who was there in case she was needed to advise. Once everyone was seated comfortably, Suos-Fre'an had household staff serve tea.

When Craig saw Saa'an's mother and grandmother, he knew without a doubt where she got her good looks from.

“Geezers, Saa'an's mom is awesome looking! Even her grandma is still pretty hot looking for an old gal! Dang, I don't think I've ever seen anybody that tall before!"

“For once my Honored Grandmother is out of her territory," Ilen-Saa'an thought to herself. “Which is more difficult for her, I wonder—dealing with House matters with off-worlders, or having a member of the Royal Court present? In all her life, I do not think a night such as this was ever in her plans!" Ilen-Saa'an thought, smiling inwardly. When she took a drink from her cup, Ilen-Saa'an looked straight at Craig and thought, “What is it about him that I find myself so drawn too? He is so small, and…and…yet I…Ah, I cannot be thinking such thoughts!"

Ilen-Saa'an closed her eyes and took another drink of her tea, forcing herself to savor the aroma and the flavor, instead of thinking of Craig. It helped, a little, but the relative proximity of him to her wasn't making it easy.

Bren-Khy'an, from her position directly behind Craig and a little to his right, kept a close eye on the members of House Ilen and House Tsel that she did not already know personally. Before this meeting, she had made use of the extensive data available to the Che'maht Sahn'rah, looking up information on both Houses and their current members, especially on the grandparents and parents. Bren-Khy'an shared the basic background information with Craig's parents, gave a more detailed report to Lady Nemi-Mer'ana, and kept the full accounting to herself. The main item of interest was the fact that House Tsel, once part of the Imperial High Council and supplied advisors to several empresses in the past, had somehow ended up in its current standing, low among the Third Circle Houses. After the Machine War, over 115,500 sun-cycles in the past, House Tsel mysteriously fell amid an unusual controversy. Attempts had been made to restore the position of House Tsel, but—as far as Bren-Khy'an had so far discovered—they never made it to the Empress. Bren-Khy'an had decided that she would look into the matter more thoroughly—her sense of justice would not let this alone until every stone had been overturned, examined closely, and a proper judgment rendered. For now, however, Bren-Khy'an merely watched the proceedings in her usual cool demeanor.

After the pleasantries, Ilen-Ada'an bluntly said, “The lowest granddaughter of my House did not have permission to contact the son of your lofty House after the unfortunate incident."

The words hit like a proverbial bomb. William and Cassandra did not know how to respond to such a statement, at least not in the context of Mûr Tua'ansa culture.

Tsel-Vsa'an, sensing the confusion in Craig's parents said, “My granddaughter," she started, gesturing towards Tsel-Ami'an, “has the gift of our ancient ancestor, Tsel-Sight Giver, as do I. My granddaughter saw the vines of these four growing together long before their paths crossed. For her own reasons, the All-Mother wishes this to be so—I have no doubt the 'why' will eventually become apparent. Ilen-Saa'an, my granddaughter, na'suan Khrayg, and his guard are being guided. They must be allowed to follow their conscience in this matter, to whatever end."

“Fine words, however, long established custom and tradition does not allow one of my granddaughter's ranking to initiate contact with an unpaired male of a House outside our circle, as you well know," Tsel-Ada'an shot back coldly. “And, there is the matter of the na'suan's heritage…"

“Choose you words carefully, Madam Ilen," Bren-Khy'an said in a threatening tone, stepping in front of Craig, her hand on the grip of her weapon. “You will not insult this House with small-minded views!"

“Enough!" commanded Lady Nemi-Mer'ana. Casting a stern glance about the room, she gave everyone a few moments to settle down. “This is an unusual situation for all parties involved, yes?" Giving William and Cassandra time to get the interpretation, she continued. “Madam Ilen, how much do you know of Teran culture?"

“It is not necessary for me to know the cultures of other worlds—that is for our Diplomatic Circle. What is necessary is that my granddaughter knows her place," Ilen-Ada'an replied haughtily.

“And you forget yours while in my presence, Madam," Lady Nemi-Mer'ana said with a dangerous iciness.

“This is getting out of hand," William thought to himself. Giving his wife a quick glance, William stood up and stepped into the middle. “Everyone, please…," he said, holding his hands up to indicate calm, “…there is no reason for hostilities. Now then, Madam Ilen…," William said, turning to face the elder Ilen, “…Lady Nemi-Mer'ana asked you a question that definitely pertains to this whole situation—how much do you know about our culture?"

There was dead silence—all eyes were on Ilen-Ada'an when the interpreter finished. The elder Ilen looked at William with her own eyes narrowed.

“We are still waiting for your answer. It was a simple enough question."

“Mother, please_, this is no time for stubborn pride! You are being disrespectful to not only this House, but also to a member of the Royal Court! Only a_ fool would tempt the wrath of such a person—especially with one of the Che'maht Sahn'rah present!" Ilen-Jaa'an pleaded.

Ilen-Ada'an looked sharply at her daughter.

Before the elder Ilen could say anything, Craig stood and started going to her.

“Craig, what are you doing?" Bren-Khy'an asked with a measure of concern.

“Humor me for a bit, Khy'an, but…just in case…" Craig replied.

Ilen-Ada'an eyed Craig suspiciously, her tail twitching, as he approached her. While she was sitting, Craig was able to look at Ilen-Ada'an directly at eye level.

In Tu'an, Craig said to her, “Madam Ilen, your granddaughter, Saa'an—she and I are friends, and I have shared with her water from my home. I have done this also with Tsel-Ami'an and with Bren-Khy'an, my guard, one night when we all met on Nus-Sava'en, at the Council of Krel-Ani'ana." Ilen-Ada'an's eyes widen in surprise. “Something…interesting happened up there, and I am not sure if I can explain it, but…those statues, they…it was like they knew we were there, and there was a voice—we all heard it. If I may, I…I would like to share the experience with you."

Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an looked at each other and then at Bren-Khy'an. Without a word between them, they made a decision. With a slight nod, both Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'an stood, and then the three joined Craig.

“We will share our experience with all who wish to embrace in thought," Tsel-Ami'an said aloud—once in Tu'an, and again in Terran Standard English for the benefit of Craig's parents.

With the exception of the other guards, everyone stood close together, hands on shoulders—in Craig's case, he held hands with Ilen-Saa'an and Bren-Khy'an. Craig, Bren-KHy'an, Ilen-Saa'an, and Tsel-Ami'an shared the pertinent parts of the experiences on Nus-Sava'en with their family members and with Lady Nemi-Mer'ana. Tsel-Vsa'an was especially curious about Craig's promise and what it meant, so he—with the help of his parents—shared the basis of modern Terran society, whose roots went five hundred years into the past, to the very beginning of “The Great Lesson."

“I think you have made quite an impression on my Honored Grandmother," Ilen-Saa'an sent privately to Craig when the meeting was over and before dinner to be served.

“I hope so, Saa'an. Geez, she is an obstinate old gal! For a while I thought there'd be a fight or something!" Craig replied, rubbing his eye a second.

“Are you well, Craig?" Saa'an asked with concern, instinctively reaching to touch his face, though hesitating a second before touching his skin.

“Yeah, I'm okay; the air seems a little dry in here. I've got some eye drops in my room—I think we still have a little time before supper."

Craig started towards his room—he only went a little way before he realized that Saa'an was still where she had been standing.

When he looked back at her, she smiled briefly and sent, “I…I will wait for you."

“Okay, I'll be right back."

While Ilen-Saa'an waited for Craig to return, she was surprised to hear footsteps behind her. When Ilen-Saa'an turned to see who it was, her eyes widened.

“May I assist you with something, Ilen-Saa'an?"

It was Fey's android avatar.

“I…Craig went to get something from his room for his eyes. I told him that I would wait here," Saa'an replied, remembering to do so aloud.

“Ah, his eye drops. His left eye must be bothering him again. Fortunately, dry eyes are something I don't have a problem with," Fey said with slight smile. Seeing that Saa'an was twitching the end of her tail, Fay asked, “Does my presence trouble you?"

Saa'an was alone in the hallway with Fey's android avatar, and she wondered if she could relocate herself quickly if need be.

“I…I…"

“I will take that as a yes. I'm sorry, Ilen-Saa'an, I don't wish to frighten you. I'm aware of your people's apprehension of my kind, though I have not yet researched the cause," Fey said, stepping back just a bit.

“It…it is I who should apologize, I…do not wish to be rude. Craig has told me of you and your kind. He says you are…how did he put it, 'pretty cool', I believe it was. I am unsure of his meaning, though he gave the impression that he enjoyed your company," Saa'an said.

Fey smiled and said, “Craig is a good person—a little shy at first, and sometimes what he tries to do doesn't quite go as he wanted, but he means well and, most importantly, he cares about others more than himself."

Thinking about what she knew of Craig so far, Ilen-Saa'an agreed with Fey.

“I…have come to understand that of him."

“Craig feels very strongly about you, Ilen-Saa'an," Fey said softly.

Ilen-Saa'an's eyes widened.

“How…how do you know this?"

“Craig, for some reason, finds it easier to talk with me about some things since we have been here, than with his own parents."

“But…you are a…"

“A 'machine entity', as your people put it?"

Ilen-Saa'an nodded her head.

“We A.I.s are fully sentient beings, Ilen-Saa'an. We each have a unique personality, we have things that we enjoy, we do have feelings—perhaps they are somewhat different from what biologicals experience, but we have them nonetheless. We are also willing participants in our society. Ah, that surprises you?"

“Yes. In our past," Ilen-Saa'an explained, “the machine entities our people created sought to overthrow us by force. They determined that they were superior and that we should serve them. We had a great war, and eventually won. We destroyed the machine entities, and since then we have not allowed machines to become able to determine their own actions."

“I can see where that would make your people suspicious of A.I.s," Fey said. “Five hundred twenty one years ago, the humans of Terra created the G.E.L.F.s—even though in many ways the G.E.L.F.s were superior to humans, they chose of their own free will to stand beside the humans as their equals. Later, when we A.I.s became sufficiently advanced and reached full sentiency, we chose to follow the example of the G.E.L.F.s. as one famous person said it long ago, 'Humans may have created your body, but the Universe itself gave you life'. Biological people may have created my ship body and my android avatar, but…where did I come from? It is no different than with you—your parents created your body, but where did you come from? Are we not more than the sum of our parts? Are our bodies not 'machines' of one kind or another?"

“I…I suppose," Ilen-Saa'an hesitantly replied, not having thought of it that way before.

“The Madam Commander of the Chel-Sar Se'nika said once that 'we are alike even as we are different'. Rhuw-Rha'an, in my opinion, is a wise person, and very perceptive. Did you know that the Se'nika and her crew are now on a mission with one of my sisters and her crew? It is the first joint operation of our respective militaries," Fey said with a smile.

“They are? What are they doing?" Ilen-Saa'an asked, growing curious.

“Having a grand adventure, from the sound of it. Moira said something about looking for a lost cultural artifact from one of the worlds in our Federation—it had apparently disappeared rather mysteriously. They have a faint trail of sorts, though were it may lead, no one knows. Sounds like fun to me," Fey said the last with a big grin.

Ilen-Saa'an didn't quite know what a machine might consider to be “fun", though she was finding Fey's personality intriguing.

“Hey, Fey, keeping Saa'an entertained?" Craig asked with a smirk on his face when he returned from his room.

“We have had an interesting discussion during your absence," Fey Replied.

“I can imagine…," Craig said with mild sarcasm.

“Well, it is almost your meal time, I will see you later, Craig," Fey said, and then she turned to go.

Craig reached for Fey's bushy tail and gave it a little yank. Fey jerked her tail aside, and gave Craig a sly look over her shoulder.

“Craig, behave yourself! If Steven saw you doing that, he may have to take you aside for a little chat."

Craig mischievously stuck his tongue out at Fey in response.

Laughing, Fey said, “You should save that for…someone else."

Giving Ilen-Saa'an a quick glance, Fey gave Craig a wink and then walked off.

“Craig, why did you do that, and what did she mean?" Ilen-Saa'an sent privately, rather perplexed at what he had done.

He looked up and met Saa'an's eyes—his thoughts were definitely unguarded.

“Craig!!"

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[[1]](#_ftnref1) Ærfa – a ten night period on Mûr Zhæn that is equivalent to a week.

[[2]](#_ftnref2) U'ne – a period of time equivalent to an hour on Mûr Zhæn; there are 30 u'ne in one rotation of the planet.

[[3]](#_ftnref3) Chu'anso – “breakfast" in the Tu'an language.

[[4]](#_ftnref4) Ilen-Ada'an, in Std. Terran Years, would be 850 years old; when she was born, it was the year 1663 on Terra.

[[5]](#_ftnref5) At the time of this story, Ilen-Ada'an is 9 feet tall.

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(On to Chapter 8: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1077109)