The Ambassador At Ras'alhague

An adventurous young woman joins an elite training program on a primitive world. To succeed, she must learn to trust herself and her four new friends. This is the second book in the eight-book series. It goes back in time 30 years to when Micha Lawrence first began her training in the challenging program for First Contact Ambassadors. Micha Lawrence has just arrived on Ras 2. The trip didn't go well. She arrived late. The gatekeeper for the ferry to the South Coast didn't want to let her through. The clerk at the reception center told her to be at the gate at sunrise for something called selections. She worried that she might oversleep. So, she didn't sleep. It wasn't light yet when she went out into the courtyard. A few others had started gathering. Sentar arrives and introduces himself to Micha. Galen, Maru, and B'ani join them. They all immediately like each other. Soon, the Nine Masters arrive to make their selections. Master Tai, the Master of the House of Tu, Leader of the Council of Nine, and a Keeper of Earth, chooses them. Master Tai knows how rare it is to find all five elements in the same generation. He also knows it is even more rare to find five who are worthy, five who might have the discipline and courage to join together as the Five Elements. The stories offer a rare glimpse into the inner world of traditional martial arts training. The Ambassador and her four old friends embody the five elements of Xingyiquan (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) grounding the series in the long history and storied traditions of authentic Chinese martial arts. Their colors (White, Black, Green, Red, Gold) reflect their elements, personalities, and special skills (xingyi, taiji, qigong, bagua, sword). Throughout the stories, the focus is on taking care of each other, what honor, integrity, honesty, and kindness mean, how we pass on what we have learned and bring up the next generations, and all sorts of positive character questions that are fundamental to traditional martial arts.