<Yes.> His mind-voice sounds very fond. <I should introduce you two properly, at some point. I suppose we have all the time in the world, now.>

<Yes. And all the things to do in the world, too, but - at least we need not be in such a hurry. I would like to meet him properly.> He's been curious about Finleran for a while, but it really never felt like an appropriate time to ask Matirin about their history. 

<He went back to his ship but maybe this weekend. How've you been?>

Leareth feels like he's already been asked that question, but he tries to see if he has any more answer. <Did you hear about the new morph version with the daylong time limit?> Leareth's is actually substantially longer, lower body mass, but for simplicity he just makes first thing every morning the demorph-and-remorph time. <I can stay in this body much longer, so I have been sleeping with the Andalite herd. It is - very restful.> 

<It is. Do you see why I say the human way seems very lonely?>

<Yes, I understand it now. ...I think I would not want that - instinctive feeling of safety - if it were not true, right? I was, in fact, in a meaningful sense alone in Velgarth before and I would not have wanted to - fake feeling otherwise. But I think it is not fake, now. Your people helped me to end a war.> 

<We are very very grateful to you. There is - so much that feels possible now, and did not, just six months ago.>

Tail-wave of vague agreement. <I am so grateful I met your people, found other worlds, and did not - need to make the choice, on Velgarth, of whether to carry out my previous best plan. I also feel that so many new paths are open now.> 

<How is Mhalir doing?>

Leareth considers the question for a moment. <He seems very happy when he is working with Cayaldwin, and rather unhappy the rest of the time. I think he is worried, now that the war is over, there will be trials and - maybe the path that brings the best outcomes for his people and Earth's people, is for him to be sentenced and executed. He and Cayaldwin could make an immortality setup work now, I think - their system still has many limitations but they could probably be met in this case.> Pause. <It would require giving him morph, though, which among other things is measurable. Anyway. I think he is very very afraid of that being in the future.> 

Sigh. <I would prefer not to. I can't pretend it does not trade off at all against - getting started on persuading the Andalites to reconsider our attitudes towards Earth, on giving everybody morph - but you pointed out, before, that it will have some downsides, too, for Yeerk trust in this project....>

<Yes. And I think Mhalir leaned on that rather hard, already, when he sent volunteers to persuade the remaining outposts to surrender. It - could still get messy, in a number of places, if the Yeerks feel betrayed by the Andalites again.> 

Unhappy tail-lash. <I can - delay, easily enough. But maybe that's worse for Mhalir than knowing, one way or the other. ...I should be on my homeworld, probably, whatever I'm trying to do. There is where to do it. I could run for office, maybe. I am - tempted to remain here, but I think it's not actually where there's the most leverage, right now.>

<That makes sense. I do think that knowing one way or another would be preferable for Mhalir.> And it still gives Leareth an unexpectedly strong pang, wishing Matirin could stay here, it feels almost unfair that after all the grinding months of war, he can finally see Matirin happy for a brief period before he has to go somewhere else. His own tail waves with equal unhappiness. <I suppose if I figure out the permanent Gate, I can visit more easily. It would be nice to see you occasionally, even if there is work to be done that must come first.> 

<I would like to see you too. I enjoy your company and I think it is good for me, absorbing bits of - how you see things. It is part of why I am reluctant to go back to the homeworld. It's easier, in some ways, to think about what I want the future to be like, when I'm - here, where it will happen.

But also - if we want to give morph to everyone everywhere I should convince everybody to vote for it ->

<Yes. I know. I think it is good for me as well, to watch how you see things, but. Everyone, everywhere...matters more.> 

<I wouldn't even think of it like that. Or - I would, but Finleran thought that was silly. He thought that -

- we shouldn't run peace like a war. If it's bad for us we probably shouldn't do it. But - I think it might be good. To - stop rushing and step back and explain to people what we want and how we are trying to bring it about. And - see if they agree with us.>

<That makes sense.> Leareth frowns, slightly. <I - suppose I could come with you, at least for part of it. Nayoki did point out that they managed here without me just fine for five months.> 

<You are very welcome to if you would like to! I think everyone will be very flattered that you have decided to be an Andalite most of the time.>

<I still think humans have it much better with morph endurance, but other than that, the Andalite form is really a very good one. And - I would not say that I fit in perfectly in Andalite culture, at all, but I feel more at home with your people than I ever did in Velgarth.> At least since Urtho, but even that was...complicated. 

<That might just be the tech level. We will have to see once humans have ended scarcity and figured out how they want their human worlds to look.>

<Yes. I am looking forward to finding that out.> 

<I think the case I want to make is that we should give out morph and not starships generally. The ability to heal from most illness and injury is much more of an unmitigated good than the ability to travel the stars.>

Leareth considers it. <I agree, I think. Of course, with morph, people can eventually morph Gifts, and learn Gates... Though I think most people could not successfully learn the interworld kind, I suspect it requires very good spatial skills, and in any case that requires special teaching, and the right coordinates.>

<How much chaos do you think will be introduced by everyone being able to morph Gifts?>