THeruler of the
ship sat beside Cha Thrat at the recreation deck's viewscreen while the fuzzy
blob of light that was the space hospital grew into a gigantic, complex
structure ablaze with every color and intensity of light that her eyes could detect. She had strong feelings of awe,
wonder, excitement, and great embarrassment.
Ruler Chiang, she
had learned, carried the rank of major in the Monitor Corps Extraterrestrial
Communications and Cultural Contact division. But the ruler seriously confused
her at times by behaving like a warrior. Now it was sitting beside her because it felt some strange, Earth-human
obligation to do so. It had wanted to pay her the compliment of allowing her to watch the approach to the hospital