Syyree grabbed the Haen's hand and made a face of distress. Haen asked,"You want to go home?" Syyree nodded emphatically. Measure looked at them and then to Captain Tkarro. "Captain? I'd like to tag along." Haen said,"Measure! if you come along, I MUST ask you to not wear armor. Also--call me Haen. We're practically sisters" Measure made a face and nodded. Dokka Tkarro said,"After the Measure's safe return, we'll see about removing the anti-matter device, as a sign of friendship." Haen smiled tightly. "Ahhh, I like you, Dokka Tkarro! Humans are sneaky and deceitful. Attributes that make you all so DANGEROUS! We'll be right back!" Haen got up and put hands on Measure after she swapped outfits in a flash of light through her Hyperspace-Storage-Device, and on Syyree. It was so instant, that Measure was left at a lost. The lighting and gravity changed, as well as the sounds and smells. Measure exclaimed,"HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? So smoothly, I mean. Lime's teleport is wrenching." Haen smiled. "I DO NOT teleport. I transvect. Similar but different. I am far more powerful than any individual of the Four Sisters...even if there are FIVE OF YOU! Why aren't you called the Five Sisters?" Measure gave a short laugh,"After-market add-on. She's of the Four Sisters 2 point 0 or such. You knew of the One Mother system, but not the fifth of four?" "I had some problems early on because I was already a warrior of probability and the One Mother system kept trying to 'adopt' me and it kept corrupting my system until the Naga Probabilty engineers found a way around it by implanting some code identifying me as already one of the 'One Mothers'." Haen said with a shrug. "Why couldn't those same techs, identify who made your hyper-frame? Surely the Sururin Intelligence Service must have records on who is developing technology like that!" Haen smiled. "Dark Rada, head of S.I.S., has full records, but I was never told. 'Need-to-know' and 'burn-before-reading' secrets." Measure looked over at Syyree, who had moved over to near a recliner and stared at a large painting of a dark skinned Sururin. Measure asked,"Larka? Who painted it?" Haen said,"Syyree did. She's very artistic. She inherited it from her mother...I mean YOUR mother." Measure looked at Haen and asked,"What did I inherit from my FATHER?" Haen asked,"What do you think of Oheeeyuuu? Seriously?" Measure sighed. "She's a tool. A real dishrag. Too passive for my tastes. WHY?" "She's a remarkably dynamic and strong-willed individual for her SPECIES. The Naga are quiet,reserved and conservative to change. They are soft-spoken and are pacifistic. The Sururin are NOT! That is why it's called the SURURIN ENCLAVE, not anything 'Naga'. Aggressive Naga are treasured and feared. You father was convicted of treason and murder for trying to take over the Naga worlds and make it into an Empire." Measure looked stricken and gasped,"MURDER?" Haen nodded. "For the first time in over a hundred thousand years, one Naga killed another, and your father was the one. Don't look so traumatized. NO child is ever guilty of their parents' crimes! Tyyee was in a form of exile because of the shame of being mated to the first murderer in living memory. In fact, she..." The floating robot in the room slide over and chimed at Haen. The lid of it raised and a holographic image of a young Sururin woman looked out at Haen."Admiral? Dark Rada is wanting to communicate with you. Should I patch it in there, or do you want to take it in your quarters?" Haen said,"Quarters." The robot turned off and floated away. To Measure,"I need to take you back. Secret stuff." Measure said,"You came to see how dangerous we really are, didn't you?" Haen touched the Measure and they were back on the Nautius."You didn't disappoint." The Haen disappeared. --To be continued!--