Page 36 of Accounting for Taste

They giggled, and Jasmine stopped, looking up at the stone ceiling.“Do you think she’s okay?”

Kris looked up.“Reem?If she’s in one of Ra’s rebuild units, she’s fine.He can bring the dead back with one of those things.”

Jasmine ran her hand over her hair.“I think that has already happened once.How many times can she come back and still be herself?”

The ladies went quiet, and their gazes moved up to the level where Reem was in a pod somewhere.

Kris took her hand and held it.“She’ll be fine.She flew a shuttle with no training, and we would have considered her clinically dead, but I was reminded of the images of people who had gotten shot or had bolts or nails in their brains, but they were up and talking.”

Jasmine nodded.“If anyone has to do things weird, it’s Reem.”

Yorness took her hand.“Tell us about her.”

Kris saw Jasmine look at the women around her, and she started to tell them all about her cousin.Zell and Essan came close, and they listened to the story of a woman who had faced death time and again, and when she rose from the ashes, she pulled others with her.

Chapter Seven

Reem listened to everything.She heard the sounds of space and ships and transports all around her.A low voice was near her, and he was asking her what to do with colonists and disputes.She sent the information to the tablet next to the chamber.Reem liked that exercise.It helped her keep her focus.

She counted the days and occasionally moved her fingers.When day twenty-one was there, she waited for the unit to tell her she was complete, but it stated that she was in development.That was a strange description.

She started sending messages to Wenvari about her being trapped and what the hell wasdevelopment?

His low voice said, “You have additional genes, and it will hurt if you are active while your body is settling into its new format.”

She sent him an image of her with four arms.

There was a soft laugh.“No, Comptroller.It will be more subtle than that.You have been given additional material to help your transformation.”

She sent an image of scaffolding.

“Sort of.Building blocks.”

She sent an image of blocks stacking.

“Much like that.Yes.Comptroller, you are almost ready to return home.”

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