Page 18 of Accounting for Taste

“So, he has found a matching consort.The current consort is the difference between having a captain who can control a vessel versus the previous consort, who could just maintain propulsion.”

“This is a topic for thought.Thank you, Comptroller Reem.”

“You are welcome.”

The woman smiled, and that made Reem blink.The Zellic rarely smiled.The crew woman looked like a mystery had been solved.

Reem was directed to her quarters, which consisted of two rooms.One was an office.The crewwoman said, “We were notified that you would be continuing to work as comptroller remotely, so this room has an office where you can link to our com system.”

“I am already linked to your com system.”

The woman said, “What?”

Reem flexed her face in what passed for a smile, and she lifted the upper swath of her hair to expose the implant.“I am not a standard Terran.”

The woman’s eyes were wide as she bowed low and made a run for it.

Reem sighed and felt the ship’s engines powering up.The strange sensation of floating started, and then the gravity felt normal as they began the navigation to Aten.

She answered some queries through the space station coms and then had to switch to the warship, and it was difficult to pace things for messaging.

“Reem?Are you Reem?”

A Terran woman dressed in the gauzy clothing of a Hmrain consort was standing in front of her and waving her hand.

“Yes, Consort.I am Reem.”

“Why are you talking like that?”

“Like what?”

“When I see another human, I get all happy.”

“Ah, better to explain right away.”She explained her issues and her classification.

The Hmrain near the door said, “I did wonder about the reanimation reference.”

“It isn’t common.There were a lot of corpses in that lab.”

The male who had to be Zell said, “Do you know what worked for you?”

“No, but I was always stubborn.”

Sage chuckled weakly.“So, you can’t access anything?”

“There are things I know, but my memories begin after waking, and my emotions are mimicked, not felt.”

Zell frowned.“Wenvari wishes to take you as consort.”

“Companion.He just wants access to my output for the next five years.”Reem stood and bowed formally.“I do not have the infrastructure to be a consort.”

Sage frowned.“What?”

“Uterine and cervical cancer.”

“Oh.Damn.”

“It was a while ago.Fifteen years before the kaboom.That is an example of something I know.I don’t know what I did during the time between, but then I woke up.”

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