“This is my friend Kate,” said Bassel, indicating a Vedani who looked somewhat more mature, though not quite adult. A small group of young Vedani had joined the chamber of people after they’d oriented themselves with each other. There came the usual pleased surprise at the high degree of morphological similarity – familiar enough in the great void of possibilities.

“Bassel is a delightful representative of humanity,” Yykth said to his mother. “And, he’s great at puzzles. As you now know, us kids have been working on something that we’re ready to show you. Being here gives you some idea of the importance of the matter. This in particular is more part of your battle than ours, but we agree on bringing this to an end. We’ll be able to help each other.”

“I believe I understand, or that I will. I’m here to support my son, and assess this solution.” She wrapped an arm around Bassel and looked over at the other human children, with one guardian each.

“Allow us to bring you to some comfortable accommodations, first.” The word circulated through the group. They all went together into a nearby portion of this wing, windowless but graced with enriching wavelengths of light. A set of individual suites was arranged around a common area. The guests were released to make themselves at home. Mirya went in ahead of Bassel and checked the toilet. It was the same brand they had in their apartment. It worked great.