Rose said to Captain Tkarro as he disembarked from the shuttlecraft,"Traffic control is overloaded. The Allied ships are scurrying about concerning something.'Maneuvers' they said. Only TWO of the alien ships have landed." "The Pello-Kumari crew wants to meet with YOU and Lime. They are here at personal invitation. Captain Garduna said he can hover his ship over the canal and disembark on a rooftop, if that's alright." Rose looked a little amused. Dokka Tkarro said,"What ever works! Go collect them. Let's make this happen!" The shuttlecraft headed for a roof-top in the Olympia section of town. Jin asked her husband,"Why are the allies all torked up?Most never heard of the Mallorri or thought they were good trading partners! Something else has them all hot and bothered." Dokka nodded. "That's enough for me. Dammit, those aliens need to communicate better! Some allies! IF they talk to us. Let's see about these new... people. WOW. They're a head taller than ROSE, and she's almost seven foot, herself!" Rose said, "Captain Dokka Tkarro, this is Captain Garduna of the Mallorri Battle-Merchants. He commands the starship, Pello-Kumari. This fellow in the dark uniform is his pilot, Zyg'Donner. They bowed deeply to the Captain. He responded in kind. The pilot stepped aside with Rose and Lime to several meters away. Captain Garduna asked eagerly,"Is it TRUE? Do you have a CURE for the Blight?" Jin said, "Let me show you a picture of how I looked five years ago." She pulled up a hologram of her with little hair and lesions all over her body. She said, "I was the FIRST cured. Yes. We have a cure for it." Garduna choked up and started weeping. "If only my wife and two oldest girls had survived this long. My mother cares for my youngest. At LAST! At last she can grow up without the fear of that horror! It almost wrecked our whole civilization!" Dokka waved a hand around and said,"Don't be fooled by this. It DID wreck ours completely. The surface of the planet will take a hundred years of rebuilding to repair. Only some of the other species kept the spark of civilization burning so the rest of us can rebuild." Zyg'Donner said, "This girl is your adopted daughter? You should be proud of her. She found a star-path conduit to here like she had been finding them all her life! it was a first for both of us!" "I'm proud of all my children. Lime is extraordinary in her own way. My youngest is dealing with an emotional matter right now that will try her." Rose looked away for a moment. Zyg nodded, "If I might ask?" "My daughter, Sunshine found someone else's pet and adopted it. NOW she has to give it up to the owner." Zyg flinched."Ouch! I remember when I had to do the same when I was a boy. I found a Drak, and had to give it back to a neighbor boy. It gives me thought after all this time. You must be very strong to let her do this alone." He smiled at Rose. Rose shrugged as Lime slumped up against her, yawning widely. "I do what I have to for my children, but I HAVE to let them grow up, no matter who much it hurts. Sunny must learn loss and how to handle it." Zyg nodded. He said quietly,"My people have lost so much already to the Blight. We need this cure!" Doctor Blue ran up from the next shuttlecraft. He exclaimed,"Sorry, I'm late! I had to finish checking Hathor! I have injectors with the Cure as instructed and ..." He pulled out his hand-scanner and scanned Garduna. Garduna looked at Tkarro. Blue said,"I can fix that head for you! Those are pretty primitive repairs. You'll look like original equipment in an hour if you want. A gesture of ...friendship?" Dokka said,"We can do your friend on the ship,too, if you want." Garduna blinked and suddenly hugged Tkarro in a huge bear hug. He gasped out,"This means,'YES'?" Garduna put him down and smiled,"VERY YES!" Dokka smiled in spite of himself. --To be continued!--