Molly's Miracle Colonies

Ron

One of the six former slaves my family adopted in that other future, Ron's here on the ship! He came running when I let the server know I wanted to see him. Ron cried. "Molly, Pirad couldn't fix me! Doug's Ryee's Poet, and I can't even—trade!"

"Listen up. You were my number one healer helper. You enjoyed it. Trading's not everything. What happened here?" I slid a hand in front of his left ear. His right, too? Rubbed 'em.

"I had terminals." Doug had 'em, too, and Pirad helped them at lunchtime. I saw what happened. More. I saw what was in all their terminals! Shivered.

Ket came over. "You shouldn't be out of bed, Ron!" After Pirad healed 'im? He picked him up, and I followed 'em to Doug's room. Doug and Jen were taking a nap. Suma had a worried look, and so did Neal.

"Let me see if I can do something, Ket." I waved up his healer file and studied it. Saw some stuff. "I want to run untoxic on you." How? It's not written yet!

Suma waved up a prog screen. She knows how to do that? Wow! Had it written, and I saw other familiar progs, except better. She wrote the birth control prog I'd been using! She smiled.

I showed it to Ron.

"Will it hurt? I'm such a coward!"

"You're not a coward, my friend. You saved so many of Ry'nao's diplomats, he said he had no finer operative on Gowa!"

"And I let the Yeff take me away! I should go back—"

"No. Stay with Doug. But Pirad could clone you. Maybe one of 'em would want to continue your work. He can give 'im telepathy of a Zbbat, and skills to help him last there."

"Oh, he did. I forgot. Clones of Doug and Ni went with him. Molly, can you help me remember things?" He kept the black eyes. His skin's not the sunny yellow it should be.

I sighed. Looked over his points. Still a lot of damage. Wanted to kill his father, but Ih Esta did already! I felt better.

"Ronmai went to Ih Esta?"

He cried. "He is dead! I should not be glad, but I am!"

Ket frowned. "This upset is not good for his heart!"

I saw his points again and saw a lot I could do. He was upset anyway. Now I saw a lot more of it because he was upset! "Ron, he will never beat you again. It's all right now."

"Molly, Adia said he came to Rainbow and hurt me there!"

"No! His entire council went to that fella in white. A diplomat went there, and he saw all of it. Operatives got him out, with Pirad's help. Cet Schlopalotop is also dead, Girfir, Mehnopt, and Heden—"

Ron laughed! "Oh, I'll sleep well tonight!"

Now, I sang and healed a lot of stuff. Ket startled and sang with me. His hair was all blond curls like my husband's, from Pirad's healing, but they were a shade lighter!

Ket stared at it. Petted it. "Hae! Ron!"

Then, I ran untoxic. Elshars get heart problems from exposure to the dust on Elshar Mashai. His father lived there for years, building his crooked pirate empire. Ron was a teen then. Finally, he got on the Council of Gowa, then led it. Made Ron pick up slaves. Beat him when important ones weren't on the manifest. He helped lots escape, because Doug taught him how.

They lived on Gowa until Adia asked Ryee to send a diplomat for him. Because she saw his future, he didn't go to Ih Esta, which would have given him devastating injuries, like when I knew him.