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what?”
    Iara got to her feet, put Agren fully in the sling and tucked Harmony onto her shoulder. “You will see in the morning.”
    It was as much promise as threat. Koara carried Sookar back to her quarters, thumbing through the data and vid provided on the subject of the world Gol.
    The cosmetic alterations were going to be minor, but they would make quite an impression. She wondered what she was going to look like with slate-grey skin and a shaved head.
    Back in her room, she changed into a loose sleep shirt and crawled into bed with Sookar at her side, commenting on the images with short chirps.
    It was an industrial society, and they had chosen to pursue crystalline technology. It would be an interesting thing to see, as well as investigate. With the information she was taking in, she made a list of places to visit around the globe. Nine different museums would shine light on how the Golums had evolved. If she knew where they had come from and where they wanted to go, she would have a good idea on what to put in her report to the Alliance.
    With her plan taking shape, she set her alarm and nodded off with Sookar curled against her, enjoying their last cuddle together until she returned.
    Tomorrow, she had to get her skin changed and shave her head.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Koara followed her guide to the secure zip. Illuma had long blue hair and a strange shimmer to her skin. She also didn’t speak much.
    “So, the secure zip is on the opposite end of the base?” Koara felt chatty in her effort to stave off the loneliness of leaving Sookar.
    “It is. Are you prepared for what I have to do to you?”
    “You are the one to make the cosmetic changes?”
    “I am. I can make you look like a Golum but not walk or talk like one. That is up to you.”
    Koara nodded. “I will do what I can.”
    “Good. It is your life on the line.” Illuma looked uncomfortable with the situation, but there were grim lines of determination bracketing her mouth. She would do what was necessary.
    The zip was just as uncomfortable as the one from Udell had been, but this one took them to a tiny space station in the skies above Lowel.
    Once they were out of the pod, Illuma led her to the medical bay and urged her to have a seat on one of the exam beds.
    “Does the hair come off first?”
    Illuma put on a medical smock and brought up the statistics of the Golum. “It comes off last. I have to thicken your skin, so it will be choked off when I get to your scalp. It has to be that way or you would start growing hair while on your assignment and that would be a giveaway.”
    “Right. Of course.” Koara cleared her throat. “Do I need to strip for this?”
    “Not yet. The first thing is the biological synchronisation.” Illuma pressed her hands to Koara’s collarbone and closed her eyes.
    Her rather rapid heartbeat slowed as Illuma worked her talent through Koara’s flesh.
    Her body slowed, her perceptions slowed and Koara was ready to put herself into the body of a person of Gol.
    She closed her eyes and let Illuma work her magic.
     
    Two hours later, Illuma’s hands stroked across her scalp and removed her hair. “There. That should do it. How do you feel?”
    Koara flexed her hands and lifted the grey appendages up so she could see them. “I feel different but the same, if that makes any sense.”
    “Good. Now, your new clothing is behind the curtain. When you emerge, you will see yourself in a full-length mirror.”
    Illuma sat on her chair and twirled lazily. Koara got to her feet and moved behind the curtain, looking at her bare grey body while she tugged on the leggings, wedged on the shirt and put on the hip wrap that was currently trending in Gol.
    The clothing was skintight, because it wasn’t used for insulation. It simply camouflaged the body and made it easy to determine gender at a glance.
    Koara put on her shoes, and she stepped out of the changing area. The mirror in the medical room reflected a grey woman wearing