Page 31 of Accounting for Taste

Four people shared their memories of hugs, smiles, and cheerful hope distributed openly.

The last woman said, “Um, my memory is probably the last.I was on the shuttle that took you to the station.It isn’t something I am going to forget.But you kicked ass.All the way.”

Reem asked, “How long ago was it?”

“Three years.I was seventeen.We were stuck in an area that had suddenly gone volcanic, and then we heard your confirmation in the background while someone was yelling at you.This is what happened next.”The young woman turned and put the circlet on her head, and her memories played.

Ash was in the air; they crouched under the trees, waiting.

“Do you think she’s coming?”she asked softly.

“I hope she’s coming, but it’s dangerous to fly over the lava field.”

“How did we even get the radio?”she muttered.

“Angela said an angel dropped it and told her help would come if she called for it.Here we a—ohmygod.She’s here.”

The helicopter was showing a lot more damage, but it settled, and Reem said, “Get in.They are prepping to leave, and you really want to be on that shuttle.Come on.”

Forty of them packed in a space meant for fewer.Three children were crammed under the console, and a net up top held the toddlers.While she calmly packed them in, she hummed and sang, and when they were all locked in, she said, “Well, it’s been real, but I want to live.”

She took off, and the helicopter fought her, but she got them up as the lava filled the clearing where it had just been.“No going back now, kids.”

The heavy aircraft moved slowly, and she started speaking calmly into her headset.There was an argument, and she said, “You are going to get them to safety, or I am going to fly up to you and kick every one of your asses.I am not doing this for kicks.”

The helicopter went faster, and when they could see the huge ship, they could also see it was powering up to leave without them.

“Fucking, weasely bastards.”Reem set the helicopter into a dive, and she headed for the front of the shuttle.“Power down, or I put this on the fucking shuttle, and no one leaves.I have forty-one souls on board, and I know the shuttle can go overweight.I read the manual.”

There was a pause, and the helicopter lowered until it touched the shuttle.There was a sound of an engine being shut off.

“Excellent choice.Open the doors, and get some personnel here to help the injured.”

They lifted, turned, and set down.Reem helped them get out and ushered them toward the ship.

There was an explosion and a scream.Folks were running into the shuttle with Reem between them, laying her down near the cockpit.The shard of one of the rotors was in her skull.

There was crying, sobbing, but they closed the shuttle, and the crew powered the vessel up.There was a lot of shouting from the cockpit as the vessel wobbled upward.Motion in the aisle caused screaming as Reem got to her feet, and she walked to the cockpit, causing the crew to leave.Humming softly, she did something to the controls, and then they were lifting smoothly and leaving their world behind.The memory showed Reem standing there with that shard of metal in her head, humming softly as she took their shuttle to the education station.She collapsed the moment they were docked, and a crew pushed in to carry her out.No human tried to leave before she did.

The woman took the circlet off.“You are up and talking and moving around.That’s a miracle.”

Reem shrugged.“It is science, actually.I am part Hmrain.Thousands of years ago, Ra was on our world, and he had visitors.Assessors were sent to make sure Ra wasn’t a complete nut job—”

There was a deep laugh.

“And to see what kind of species he was surrounding himself with.I am guessing one of my ancestors took a dip in the Terran gene pool.”

“How does that matter?”

“My brain is in lobes that work differently from yours.When the survival programming kicked in, I got up and flew the shuttle.I could access all of my skills and the control manuals I had memorized.Luckily for you and myself and everyone on that shuttle, I did.”

She looked at Sage, who was staring at her with wide eyes.“So, your emotional centre was damaged?”

“Fight or flight came on, and it hasn’t stopped since.”

Sage swallowed.“Lifting a car off a child.”

“That’s the same reflex.What couldn’t I do?No clue.As long as there are things to learn to protect those around me, I will keep going.Or until one of the units knits things back into proper position in my brain.Either one.”

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