Yunho read Jaejoong’s and Changmin’s message. They were really mobilizing Lhara to prepare for whatever might come their way. He returned to the intricate diplomatic negotiation papers he had to prepare for the following trips to Seffren and Tarpar. 

The arrival of a new message was a welcome relief. It was a message from Jaejoong which made Yunho’s face smile. He eagerly opened it to find candid accounts of Jaejoong’s day and a 3D scan of the baby. Yunho smiled so much his facial muscles complained. He sent back a replay asking for more stuff about the baby. Yunho found Jaejoong’s happiness contagious.

…

Junsu and Sarah were ridiculously happy. Through his telepathic connection to his childhood friends, Junsu’s happy mood was infecting both Yoochun and Yunho. From Lhara, the healer was getting a couple irritated messages from his parents and his brother Junho. They were complaining about not being able to be at the wedding. And then congratulating him silly. 

Sarah’s mother was yet to be informed. She preferred to do that in person and with Junsu standing right next to her. Besides, if she wanted headaches, she was already getting them while working. 

…

Seffren was a huge planet, nearly as big as Lhara. Contrary to Lhara and most of the other colonies, that had a small population, Seffren was heavily populated. There were few places in the entire planet not filled with houses, industries or farms. And those few places were very small. Seffren’s colony had even spilled to the moons around it. It was eerily similar to the last accounts of Ancient Earth. The unsustainable demand on the natural resources had only started to diminish and be controlled when Heechul became king. But Seffren was still completely dependent on the resources that they were importing from the other colonies and other planets. Fortunately, the measures implemented by Heechul were paying off now. The different colonies cooperated and took advantage of Seffren’s more advanced industry. 

Their arrival on the planet was treated as a big event. Every important individual was invited and wanted to be seen talking with them. Seffren had a strange social mixture. Due to its monarchy there was a hierarchy class system but also a parallel system based on how much money one had. Sarah’s mother straddled both worlds, she was a Baroness by her marriage to Sarah’s late father but her fortune was inherited from her family’s gold mining industry. 

The Baroness managed to express contentment with her daughter’s marriage. The public setting ensured she didn’t want to make a scene. Sarah wasn’t fooled. She knew that, the second they were alone, her mother would demand satisfaction. 

…

Lydia and Jaejoong were happily caressing her belly. They were sprawled outside on the lawn, their dragons providing shadow behind them. They had opted for a fast pregnancy. Jun Woo would soon be born. She enjoyed her increasing telepathic connection with the baby but was saddened by the fact that Jaejoong couldn’t do more other than caress her belly. She hoped and prayed that soon her Linked One would recover his telepathy. 

…

Sarah was being plagued by another headache. And her arm was itchy. To top it off, their research was falling behind and she couldn’t avoid visiting her mother later that day. 

-You’re too stressed, Sarah.

-You just met my mother. Do you think I have reason for it?

-Yes, you do. She really is something. If not for all the people present, I was sure she was going to start screaming. But don’t worry. I’ll be there with you. I won’t let her mistreat my wife.

-I like the sound of that. Hummm, husband.

-Hi, that’s me.

-Yes, it is. 

-I love your smile.

-I love you.

Yoochun turned a corner and listening to the sweet exchange, decided to poke some fun.

-Huh, tone it down, will you? That is way too sweet. 

Junsu showed his tongue to his friend and accused him of filling in for Changmin in his absence. The two friends entertained themselves provoking each other for a while. Sarah just laughed at their antics. 

…

-So, you married my daughter?

-Yes, we are married. And wish for your blessing.

-Hummm, off course, off course…

Sarah watched her mother attentively. She had had to struggle to be allowed to become one of the Chosen Ones. At the time, her mother had relented hoping it would give Sarah better prospects in marriage upon her return. She could see the woman was not pleased. Still, she seemed to be dealing with it. 

…

The group of friends spent tiring days in negotiations and collecting everything they needed. Chosen Ones were exchanged. New treaties signed. 

In the midst of all that, Sarah and Junsu had an incredible surprise. Her strange occasional headaches proved to be a consequence of her skin contact with the dragon water. It had somehow strengthened the remaining Heechul legacy still hidden in her bloodline. She wasn’t capable of full telepathy contact with her husband but they did begun to share a mental and emotional connection. Much like the bond Junsu had with his childhood friends, he was aware of where Sarah was at any time and of her moods. And Sarah could do the same with Junsu, although she had much more difficulty reading the signals she got. It was exciting for several reasons. First, it strengthened their marriage and they felt blessed by it. Second, it meant that they were on the right track to heal Jaejoong. 

Jaejoong was surprised when he heard about it. It gave him added hope. Maybe soon he would be able to have a link with his unborn son and Lydia. With a start, he realised it would also probably include Yunho. He missed the friend connection they used to have and had to wonder how different their connection as Linked Ones would be. 

Yunho kept quiet and avoided that topic with Jaejoong. He didn’t want to have false hope. He was glad for what he had so far and didn’t want to lose it. If he could never have more, it would have to be enough.

…

Yoochun was intrigued by Heechul. And knowing that Changmin was also a Heechul descendant and that Actor had been Heechul’s dragon, he wanted to find all he could about the Lhara born man who had strangely become Seffren’s more celebrated king. 

That is why a few days before they were scheduled to leave Seffren, the small group was visiting the palace. The reigning king was happy to have them visit and allowed them access to almost everywhere. Sarah acted as their guide.

-Oh, look at that. That’s Actor! – Exclaimed Yoochun.

-So it is. Heechul painted his green dragon over and over again. It’s strange to think it’s the same dragon that accepted Changin as his rider. – Said Sarah. 

-I wonder why Heechul never returned to Lhara, even to visit. He sent his sons. – Asked Junsu.

-Oh, you can ask Heechul yourself! – Sarah suddenly remembered.

-What the hell do you mean?

-Come with me, guys. The archives are amazingly interactive. It’s the closest we’ve come so far to Artificial Intelligence. You can ask questions directly and it’ll answer. In a way it’s like you’re asking Heechul himself. All his memories were downloaded to the archives. Oh, how could I not remember it sooner?

They followed Sarah to a more obviously private section of the palace. Finally they entered a small room with a few chairs in front of a screen that occupied an entire wall. Before entering, she pressed a few buttons on a panel near the door.

-Heechul’s public and private memoirs, please.

Yunho was walking in front of the screen and suddenly found his face mere inches away from some young man’s face.

-Hello. Please state your question.

Yunho froze staring at the good looking man until he noticed one of his arms was inside the man’s body. He jumped back startled.

-What?

-Oh, Lhara. It’s a hologram. I never saw one so good. – Said Yoochun.

After the initial shock they spent a long time questioning the hologram. It felt like they were talking to a person, except for the few times they got an obviously recorded message. Why Heechul had never returned to visit Actor, when it was fairly obvious he had missed the dragon terribly, was one such question. It seemed an answer was available only with a password but the question was strange. It was phrased in a very specific manner. 

Seffren used modern forms of the ancient chinese languages with a few old european ones thrown into the mix. Old English, strangely, had become almost obsolete and had only been revived during Heechul’s reign. Most of Heechul’s entries were automatically translated to English but a few remained in the original language recorded, which normally was Mandarin. This was accompanied by a written translation on the screen. The trick question however was always in Lhara’s Korean with the English translation appearing on the screen. They got a few more unanswered questions and then suddenly Yoochun approached the hologram.

-Why did you leave Lhara? – Asked Yoochun. 

-What colour holds a performer? – Asked the hologram. At least that was the English translation on the screen. However the Korean words the hologram was using were not consistent with that translation, on Yoochun’s opinion. 

-That translation is incorrect. The question is phrased in a rather ancient form of Korean. I don’t think it is “performer”. The translators must not have much access to Korean and probably feared the word meant e or something like that and went with “performer” instead. I do believe he’s using the word for actor, as in the profession… But…

-Most of the dragon names use English. Actor, Blur, Sailor. – Said Yunho. 

-So, in a way he could be asking how one can hold on to a dragon? But what about the bit about colour? – Asked Junsu.

-Off course! It has to be that! It just has to be! – Yelled Yoochun.

-Do share with us. – Said Sarah.

-“What colour do you use to hold on to Actor?” I think that’s the better translation. And to that question I know the answer. Actor has one red scale among all his green ones that according to Actor is there because of Heechul. It hides leather straps. They come really in handy to hold on while Actor flies. – Explained Yoochun.

-Access granted. – Said the hologram.

…

They all froze as the hologram was replaced with an older image of Heechul. This new hologram was a recorded message from the king himself. 

-My sons, grandsons and descendants. I leave you this private message so that you may be vigilant and prepared. 

You, my sons, shared my life and know everything. I hope you can share that knowledge with your own sons and grandsons. But as only you will carry on my tales of Actor and Lhara, I feel safe to leave this coded message in case the details become lost over time.

I was kidnapped. Taken from my home, my colony, my planet and my dragon. Such lose. It wasn’t greater only because I was not Linked to anyone. The man I loved became Linked to someone else and The Connection didn’t think to include me since the two loved each other. I would be irrelevant and so I remained alone. Other cases like mine convinced the scientists to try and find a way for The Connection to leave no one out. I think they will succeed, eventually. 

But I was linked to Actor and I couldn’t even say goodbye. I found myself in a different planet at the mercy of a mad king. It was only one of the King’s bodyguards, Hankyung, who made my life a little bearable. He saved my life again and again. 

The insane King accused me of becoming fat and beat me half to death. It was Hankyung who convinced him to allow a doctor to see me. To my utter despair and joy, I was pregnant. Pregnant by that mad man. Life became different after that. He was incapable of performing with a woman and Seffren had lost the knowledge of genetics and artificial insemination. He was in constant danger of losing his crown and needed an heir desperately. I was his miracle. A man and pregnant. 

Having his crown secured with an heir, especially when a boy was born, allowed the insane King to relax and leave me the boring stuff. I think he wanted to punish me in a way and yet display me to everyone. As other pregnancies followed, as the King’s insanity increased, as I became the active king more and more, other problems became visible. And it all exploded when the Kind finally drank himself to death one night. 

Seffren had an underground society, of which the King had been aware and supportive of. They were powerful and their views permeated into the society at large. But no one knew how far they went. Slavery. They practiced slavery. The spaceship arrival in Seffren had been problematic. The powerful and rich took charge. There were no records of how many people came in the ship and of how many survived the first decades. Unknown to everyone a group formed their own secret society.

They threatened my continuation as king. They hated the new laws I had been slowly introducing. 

But my sons, you helped me win. Because you agreed to move to all the know colonies and establish permanent trade, I gained enough support. The threat of war was forgotten because if you could trade for the resources you needed, why waste resources trying to conquer the other colonies? 

To help cement peace, the Chosen Ones system was implemented. It started with you, my sons. The best minds were traded among all the colonies. It helped further development and in a way served as a security measure. 

I was preparing to destroy the secret society and free their slaves. Hoping that maybe then, I’d be able to visit Lhara and Actor. Finally see Actor…
I couldn’t. It didn’t work as I expected. 

A large part of the group gained access to a spaceship and left. They simply disappeared. Their slaves with them. I had to try and find them. The few elements of the group that remained on Seffren were still too influential as well. I could not leave. Couldn’t…

I tried so much and still I was never able to leave Seffren, even keeping my eldest son with me and training him to be the next king. The King was dead, I was the new king and yet I was still as much a prisoner as ever. The situation never proved stable enough that I could leave, even for a short visit. 

The missing oppressors were never found in my lifetime. I hope you can find them. If they grow strong enough, they will want to rule over everyone. The few that remained in Seffren, in due time, their influence will lessen and I freed anyone under their thumb. But the ones who left… 

Fear their return. Be vigilant, be prepared. Keep the colonies united.

And cry not for me. Hankyung proved to be my Linked One and we were able to live happy together. 

Send my best to Actor.

…

Silence was oppressive in the small room. No one knew what to stay, still trying to understand what they had just learned. The mysterious threat Changmin and Jaejoong had warned them about had just suddenly become tangible and real.