Susan arrived on board the Naval Academy yacht on the same day of llhaesa and her family’s arrival.

Barbara felt Susan’s presence might help the Salstons with the government perspective, help as a friend offering moral support and spiritual assistance if needed, as well as ponder and assess their vulnerability from an intelligence analyst’s point of view.

None of the Salston party was on deck when Susan and Barbara arrived, so when they made their way down into the yacht, llhaesa and Ronnie were stunned to see their friend. Llhaesa wrapped her arms around Susan, technically meeting Susan for the first time – though she carried Tim’s memories.

For her part, Susan looked upon llhaesa in disbelief, although Barbara had well versed Susan on the story. “Look at you!” Susan called out, her eyes visibly assessing llhaesa from head to toe. “Small wonder the gender issues you spoke of tormented you. At least you arrived at a successful resolution; too many are left with no hope.”

Llhaesa smiled and nodded knowingly, understanding a time would come when she would be quite outspoken on rights, from women’s rights to the rights of lgbt people, most certainly including transgender rights. “There is a connection and a disconnection between Tim and I that is hard to explain. I can both feel and visualise the torment as if an observer, even though I lived the experience. Tim was one tormented soul, and well… in a couple of words, that bites.

I will talk on that element at another time, but will just add that this world needs to change how it views the lgbt community. Please excuse my going off on an activist micro-rant prior to extending a proper verbal greeting, hello Susan! What a wonderful surprise to have you with us!”

Turning to Barbara, llhaesa asked, “Barbara, you obviously knew of Susan’s friendship with us, though I am not certain how. Moreover, you have brought her aboard for some reason that I would guess both Ronnie and I are most anxious to hear.” Llhaesa looked to Ronnie as she asked the question, and watched as Ronnie signalled her agreement with a head nod.

Barbara chuckled, knowing this unexpected visit required explanation. “You had no way of knowing this, nor did Susan have any reason to share the connection before, but… Susan and I grew up together. We also happened to grow up as best friends with Alicia Underwood.”

Ronnie looked at Barbara, then looked at Susan, saw the playfulness in their eyes, and she grasped the depth of the connection. “I see. You three grow up together, Barbara you become AG for Alicia, and that means Susan has another revelation coming, if I am not mistaken, though I am of uncertain mind as to what this revelation will be.”

“That is quite an astute observation, Ronnie!” Susan complimented her friend. “In fact, I was a CIA analyst for 18 years, and retired four years ago. Barbara also worked for the Agency after leaving the Navy, and she felt the combination of our friendship and my inner connections with the Agency might help us keep your family and friend safe.”

“An analyst,” Ronnie mused, the fingers of her right hand moving to her lips as she pondered this, as was her frequent habit. “So you weren’t running around in sports cars, parachuting off of tall buildings, getting the girl – oh, wait…that is rather presumptuous, I have been hanging around llhaesa too long!” Ronnie winked as she rendered the last comment, intended as a playful tease of llhaesa.

“No, no fun activity, Ronnie.” Susan began her explanation. “I scoured all manner of sources for information. Sometimes there was interesting reading, sometimes it was boring as all hell, and I felt a pull to a different place in life.

I left the Agency on good terms – most people there do and did good work, and the connections I have might serve to help us at some point along the way, though we have to be careful.

Anyway, enough about my past, lets talk about you and llhaesa and how you are coping. Ronnie, how are you doing? This must have come as a supreme shock – yet I sense you are in a very good place mentally right now. I would love to hear how this evolved!”

“Susan, you do not waste any time getting to a point, and I can see why you were an analyst!” In their short history of friendship, Susan surprised them virtually every time they got together. “The best answer I can give is for you to spend some time chatting with llhaesa. When you do, you will see why it is I am ‘in a very good place mentally.

In fact, come along, you need to find a cabin for your stay. We can talk along the way.”

In reality, the cabins were not that far distant, and they quickly covered the distance, with Susan selecting one of the available cabins on the right side of the yacht. Entering the cabin, Susan again inquired about llhaesa.

“Ronnie, I assume you know I saw something in Tim – something deep, something hidden, something that would likely surface. Well, now I see part of this, now… tell me more!”

Ronnie wished to giggle, but held back and instead offered serious outlook. “The first few days, I was devastated, almost as if I were in shock. Then llhaesa and I had several opportunities to chat, for her to interact with the children, with my mom, with Dolores, with Barbara.

There is no secret here, Susan, because I have told llhaesa this: if llhaesa were not married, I would seriously consider a relationship with her – the attraction to her overall being is powerful. In fact, I for the first time in my life, I would not preclude having a relationship with women, because this whole thing has forced me to rethink my life and outlook.

She is special, Susan – everything that Tim hinted at, or that we sensed Tim hinted at – is llhaesa, it was llhaesa all that time. I will leave it there, and will let you form your own opinion.”

Ronnie, you do know you are a wonderful human being. You have found yourself through this every bit as much as llhaesa has, and well, I find that reason to celebrate! While we chose to forego alcohol when we got together after my release from the hospital, I do believe it is time for Susan Woodward’s District-famous margaritas!”

An hour later, Susan, Ronnie, llhaesa, and Dolores sat on the deck, happily sipping on margaritas – the second round of margaritas, actually.

“Llhaesa, rumour has it you can sing. Will I get to hear your voice any time soon?” Llhaesa climbed out of her cross-legged sitting position on the deck, offering a quick ‘excuse me, I will be right back,” without answering Susan’s question. Less than a minute later, she returned, lugging the keyboard Barbara brought on board the yacht.

“I hope no one minds, but I am in the mood to play, and Susan reminded me. A bit of warning: on Arrhazon, I practised playing six to eight hours a day, and I am woefully out of practise right now. Music calls to me, a keyboard calls to me. When I grow restless, music will satiate my soul.”

Llhaesa ran an extension cord and plugged in, set up the supporting stand, went back for an amplifier and a chair, then settled in to play, foregoing singing for the first twenty minutes. Thereafter she moved into vocals, and let her mood dictate what she played.

For llhaesa, songs were re-entering her mind for the first time in a decade and a half, and she could feel tension leave her body, could sense her body still regenerating, rebuilding its strength and her mental acuity – an element she had not thought on, that she would be rusty as llhaesa.

Susan watched and smiled, satisfied the question on llhaesa’s music no answered without a direct reply. Ronnie was right in her description of llhaesa, was as she sensed Tim in their second meeting.

After llhaesa finished playing, Susan asked if she might chat with llhaesa for a few minutes.

“Llhaesa, Barbara indicated your world is slightly ahead of this one in many ways. I used to work as an analyst on science issues, and wonder if you might share – in general terms, I understand people are trying to pry details out of you, and I could care less about that. I am looking for an overview of a few differences; that should give me enough to work with.”

Llhaesa trusted Susan, aware of how this wonderful woman could have hated Tim with good cause, and instead welcomed him into her home. “Medical care is a good starting point, Susan. We are ahead by decades, perhaps a century. We now engage interstellar space travel – as evidenced by my presence here; here, we barely touched our moon. Moreover, our energy is not fossil fuel based.

In my opinion, the most significant difference is that we are united and free of war.”