Diopside or Jake looked surprised but said, “I think that’s a very good idea.”

Emerald thought to himself, “Joey, your turn.” Oddly, nothing happened.

Then he remembered how the switch had occurred in the past. He tried to imagine what Joey would want to ask.

Then he was Joey. Was Diopside now Jake?

Joey asked, “What’s it like to become a host? That’s one of the memories I’ve lost.”

The other man shrugged. “It’s different for everyone. It was pretty easy in my case. When I was younger I used to love the Eightfold franchise, the books and movies and comics and games. At first I thought I must be going crazy when a voice told me it was a representative of Green River Friend and wanted me to be it’s host.”

Joey said, “I don’t remember the franchise, if I ever knew much about it. Do they have an online MMORPG? I think I was into those.”

Jake nodded. “Actually they do, and you could learn some of the lore there. Still, if that was your only source, it would be a borderline case. Elders aren’t supposed to approach hosts who might not fully understand the risks involved in the first phase of a First Contact Embassy. Since there’s no receiving portal built yet, it’s a difficult trip. Material beings can’t do it at all, and even energy beings tend to arrive very hungry, confused, and sometimes injured.”

He replied, “I take it if I were a big fan that would make more sense to me.”

Jake nodded vigorously.

Joey tried to grasp the most important point. “So what happened to me is common?”

“No, not really. Emerald was very hungry, and lost even more energy escaping from his previous host after the duel. Elders do have motives to treat their hosts well though. When humanity finally builds a portal, many powerful individuals will visit this world. Some will examine the Elder’s memories and ours.”

Was that a subtle hint that Emerald might not have treated him well if not for that? Could he have been driven out of control by hunger and pain, and now have something to hide?

He knew there were other things he should ask, but he was hungry and exhausted. “Anywhere I can get something to eat around here?”

“You can always get something in the kitchen. The mayor has a few people to cook and clean this house. They generally avoid the mayor’s crazy friends – and they know to keep this place secret. I said I’ll show you where your room is, and you might want to clean up too. I know this might seem kind of creepy, but if you don’t have anything else, some of the clothing from Emerald’s old host might fit you.”

Joey sat a moment and took stock of himself. In addition to the sweat from his recent sword duel, his clothing was torn and grimy from his previous dive to the pavement while fighting the two homicidal muggers. He could use a change all right.

He nodded his agreement on all three counts, and let Jake show him Emerald’s room and the bathroom. He felt much better after a shower, though he discovered a few bruises. The clothing seemed oddly natural to him – could certain Elders be attracted to certain types of hosts?

Then at last he had some of the barbequed chicken. He had to resist the urge to eat himself sick. As hungry as he was he managed to hold himself to three pieces of chicken, one and a half potatoes, and a few mixed vegetables. Then he went upstairs to ‘his’ room, undressed, and slept like a log.

When he dreamed he was Emerald again, but Emerald as he once had been. His host was named Latimer.

Nine of them were sitting around the dining room table. (Nine? Two Blue Sword Honor claimants.) In the middle of the table was a large piece of cardboard, with what might have been a forty pound meteorite on top of it. It didn’t look exactly like other chunks of meteorite. Parts of the surface were oddly smooth rather than pitted.

The meteorite spoke. No part of it moved, but the voice clearly emanated from it. It was deep and compelling, although it was occasionally degraded by an odd staticky sound.

“So I have heard four of your theories about how this first contact should be conducted. The others have prudently stated they wanted to learn more about humanity before committing themselves.

“Here is my plan. You will each have a chance to demonstrate your knowledge of this world and your ability to work with the inhabitants. I will ask questions about Earth and Humanity. Many will seem trivial, and they will be disproportionately focused on the region you now occupy, but they will give you an opportunity to demonstrate an interest in and ability to win the loyalty of humans.”

Sapphire asked quizzically, “Win the loyalty?”

The River continued, “You will be able to communicate with humans. They will be able to give you advice on the questions, and also to support your cause in other ways. The winner will be the leader of the Embassy.”

Suddenly Emerald realized how he could take advantage of this game. The humans would be more interested in power and technology than meekly waiting for the River to determine who would lead the Embassy. They would make their own choice, and he would find a way to assure that that choice was him.

As if reading his thoughts the River said, “Steps will be taken to assure this game is not used to initiate premature contact by someone who does not know or care if the humans are ready. I will create a channel to a parallel universe very similar in some ways to this one. Almost all of the answers you get from them will be correct here as well. In their own world they will be playing a game for their own amusement. They will know more about you than you think, since they will see images of you as part of a fiction.”

The eight of them stared at each other in growing confusion. Some pieces of the River functioned better than others. Was this one insane?

“They are watching a television program about you.”

Emerald understood then. The Eightfold knew the power of narrative in binding the multiverse together. Stories told in one universe were true histories in another – though some might describe lifeless and flickering shadow universes, which briefly came into existence.

He would win this game as well.