Eralen wiped sweat from her forehead. "The engines are getting hot. They weren't designed for long distance travel." She turned in her chair to look at Orisen. "How are you doing?" She pulled off her sweater and unbuttoned her jumper.

Orisen detected a temperature rise but it was not enough to affect her. She did not know how it affected the young Teshin. "I am doing fine. Are you?"

She shook her head. "Its getting too hot in here for me."

Her dark hair stuck to her face, annoying her. She pushed it back.

Orisen frowned. "Are you feeling sick?"

"Not yet. I'll let you know when I am. Where are we?" She turned to study the flight computer.

Orisen used her hypercomm booster and antenna to locate them via hypercomm triangualation. "We are 41 mark 35.2 by 17� from Commonwealth Colony 3's outer border and 11 light-years more in the same direction from Mrellkis." The heat from the process tingled a pain sensor in her shouler but she ignored it.

Erelen chuckled. "That's neat. How did you know that?"

"I have a comm system within me. Only I can hear and use it. I merely asked it where we were."

Eralen check the ship's systems. "Well, we are stuck here for 3 hours, it seems. I hope they aren't looking for us." Orisen was troubled by this. "I would think they are."

Eralen looked down. "I know. I hope that the Commonwealth allows me to stay. I heard that they were strict with refugees."

"I am to help you attain asylum in the Commonwealth. Just rely on me."

Before Eralen could reply, there was a bright flash outside the ship's windows, a large ship coming out of hyperspace.

"Oh my!! It's a warcraft! A Legacy warcraft!," she cried in horror.

An alarm beeped as they were being targeted.

Orisen sent an emergency message to the ACDF Core Sector Command: ACDF-CSC, this is Orisen, Unit 8859, escorting my owner, Lady Elaren to Tiat Si for asylum. I ask under the Commonwealth Citizen Safe Act that you help us. We are being threatened by a Teshin warship.

A weird voice replied in a hushed whisper that chilled both processors of Orisen's AI:You ask for help, artificial one? In exchange for what?

Orisen knew that this was not the ACDF, yet she replied:Must we pay for urgent help? The voice cackled softly:I shall enjoy picking you apart, making you feel each cut and tear

A different ship, this one long, angular and organic looking, appeared outside and Eralen gasped in utter horror, turning pale.

Orisen did not recognize it. "Eralen? What is it?"

Eralen trembled violently. "A-ss-s, um, It's the Asikiwa," she stammered in fear. "They, they will eat me."

"I will not allow anything to harm you, Eralen," Orisen said.

Eralen tried to smile. "You are naieve, my friend, sadly so."

A new message arrived: Orisen, this is the ACDF WarcruiserDeathclaw.We are sending a support craft for you. Do not antagonize the Teshin or Askiwa crafts. Let us do that

A new ship entered the strange tableau set against the bright skies all around of the Core. It was a flattened ovoid shape and made of grey-white metal. It bore ACDF markings. It was moving incredibly fast.

The comm syetem of the ship beeped. Eralen answered it to see a male Arci-te ACDF officer (a rarity she could not appreciate) on the screen.

"You are Teshin female Eralen?," he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, sir." She was still trembling.

"Listen to my instructions carefully. Turn your ship 45� to port and hold. Brace for an impact. Do it now," he said.

She did, carefully turning the ship as the ACDF ship closed in.

An alarm beeped as a weapon fired.

The ship shook violently as it was struck, electronic panels shattering in a rain of glass pieces and sparks.

Eralen screamed and covered her head.

Orisen could not reach her from where she was.

The ship was struck with terrific force that knocked the Teshin female from her chair and into Orisen, who caught her.

Orisen noticed that she was not conscient. "Eralen?"

Something pulled at the ship and then suddenly stopped.

The ship landed hard on a hard surface, a new artificial gravity field detectible by Orisen's senses.

Something clanged at the door and it fell open with a hiss and a cloud of steam.

ACDF medical officers rished in and took Eralen. They bade Orisen to go to the security office.She had to obey Commonwealth authority and did.

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Hours later, Eralen was brought to the security office wearing only a white cottony robe.

She blushed as she sat down beside Orisen. "I, um, wet myself it seems. They took my clothing to be cleaned."

Orisen frowned. "Wet yourself?"

"A fear response. I didn't do it on purpose."

A red-haired Laneran female in a grey ACDF uniform came in and sat down at the desk in front of them. "Hello, I am Commander Enkeren. I understand that you wish to apply for asylum in the Arctarian Commonwealth?"

Eralen nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"May I ask why?," Enkeren asked.

She looked down. "I was going to be killed by my own father for not agreeing to a forced marriage. I left after a soldier of my father's came to kidnap me."

Enkeren started taking notes on an unseen computer. "Do you understand what you are asking for?"

Eralen nodded. She had studied what she needed to know. "Yes. I will gladly renounce my Legacy citizenship in exchange."

Enkeren looked at Orisen. "And you, you belong to her?"

Orisen nodded. "I do."

Enkeren made more notes on her computer. "This ship is heading for the main Commonwealth. It seems that the planetary government of Tirakel has sponsored your immigration, Eralen. You will have to take 3 tests of knowledge and pass an examination to become a Commonwealth citizen. The process usually takes about a year. You being Teshin, count on it taking longer."

Eralen frowned. "Why? Am I being discrimnated against because I am Teshin?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. You are hardly the only one applying for asylum. Thousands of Teshin do every week. It is not by chance that were were in that neighborhood when you were attacked."

Eralen did not know that. She sighed. "Where are you taking us?"

"To Tirakel. You will not be allowed to leave it until you are granted citizenship. It's not a bad place. Your Legacy file says you are a horticuluralist and florist. You will find lots of work on Tirakel for those skills."

Eralen was grateful to hear that. She had never heard of Tirakel. "I hope so. So, we are to remain here for this journey?"

Enkeren smiled, "You, no. You may go to the room assigned to you. Ms. Orisen here is going to get a lesson in the Asikiwa and bad side of the Teshin as only we can teach her."

Eralen looked at Orisen, then back at her. "Is that okay? You won't hurt her?"

"It's a simple download and test for knowledge. She will return to you when she is done."

She slowly nodded. "Okay, I guess."

A nurse came in and escorted her to her room.

Orisen frowned. "How is this knowledge going to benefit me?"

"Everyone should know what we are teaching you. You should share it with your kin, particularly those who travel much," Enkeren said.

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Days later, Orisen frowned as she thought about the Asikiwa and thier lesser cousins, the ferocious and largely extinct Kerewa.

Renegade Teshin were usually in league with them.

The Asikiwa were transdimensional reptilian creatures. No accurate picture of one was available for anaylsis. They were a very old people and once the most powerful in the galaxy.

They were able to invade thoughts of artificial intelligences as well as peoples' brains.

It unsettled her that they came so close to death without her realizing it.

She spent long hours in the ship's library, learning all she could about different creatures and civilizations as well as the Teshin history she didn't know, the dark side of it.

It explained why Eralen's own kin threatened her freedom and life. She resolved never to let any Teshin influence Eralen's life. Well, within reason.

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Tirakel was a beautiful red-brown-blue world with swrly white clouds from orbit.

On the ground were farms, orchards and fields as far as the eye could see.

Even the sea was cultivated.

Eralen was taken to the government offices in Rinrin, a city steeped in Commonwealth history, for familiarization and orientation.

Orisen came back to her home.

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Merisa frowned as she withdrew the hypercomm booster and repaired the heat damage it caused to the cytec in Orisen's left shoulder. "Does it hurt?"

"It triggered a slight pain response. I managed to ignore it," Orisen said as she sat on the work table.

"You shouldn't do that, Orisen. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. A fact I can personally attest to." She finished and the nanotech in her corite skin healed the incision without a trace.

"You can get up now and leave if you wish. You belong to another now."

Orisen saw the sadness in Merisa's eyes. "Why are you sad, Merisa? I will always be nearby."

Orela came in with new clothing for the naked Orisen. "I made these for you, Orisen."

She took them gratefully. "Thank you, my kin." Se quickly put them on revealing a conservative Teshin dress made for her replicant body. It was dark red and came with leather sandals. "it is nice."

Orela nodded. "Thank you, It was my first attempt at making clothing."

"It is a fine first attempt then. I must go. Goodbye. You may call me at your convienence." Orisen left the facility.

Orela looked at Merisa. "I do not understand, Merisa. Why does she behave differently?"

"She is made to replicate a Teshin and in my experience, they are all uptight loonies," she said and smiled. "We must mix up some of that coral/ceramic mix, that turned out pretty good."

Orela nodded. "Yes it did. How many more are we going to do?"

Merisa sighed. "Two but the government is on my ass to build that stupid hybrid. I'm puuting it off as long as possible. At least we outdid ourselves with Orisen." Orela shook her head. "Yes but we will do even better on the next two."

"I hope so," Merisa said.

� 2 Mar 2004 Gregory Thompson