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Is your next mission already lined up?”
    He quirked his lips. “Something like that. I will be back soon. There is one thing I need to tell you.”
    Illuma looked at the hand he was extending to her, and she got to her feet, sliding her palm along his. He pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist and followed it up with one to her lips.
    He exhaled against her mouth, and she returned the favour, but in her case, she sent a column of mist into him. If he was travelling without her, he was going to be safe.
    Olwick backed up and licked his lips. “Did you just do something?”
    “Insurance. No matter what you are doing, you are going to be safe. Apologies for not warning you.”
    He closed his eyes as if taking stock. “What does it do, exactly?”
    “It will let me help if you need it. I hope I do not have to, but you are one of the only friends I have, so I intend to keep you whole.”
    He smiled and stroked her cheek. “I intend to remain whole as well.”
    “Good. We are on the same page.”
    They went to the dining room and sat at the table, having tea and waiting for his ride.
    He asked her questions about her upbringing, and she asked him about puberty. She couldn’t figure out which one of them was more shocked.
    The shuttle arrived and docked at slip B. Olwick gave her another kiss before he left, and she ran to the observation tower to watch the shuttle leave. Her heart went with it.
    Her com chimed. “Specialist Ambrehar, we have another alteration for you. Can you fit her in?”
    She lifted her head and spoke clearly. “My calendar is clear. Can you bring her up?”
    “Of course.”
    Illuma watched the shuttle as it became a tiny speck against the stars. She could feel him, but her visual was gone.
    She went to her lab and set everything for a sterilization run. If she was getting guests, she wanted them to have a nice, clean reception.
     
    Iara didn’t bring her Yaluthu or her family, but she did bring a young, frightened woman with her.
    “Yimeera, this is our alteration specialist, Illuma. Illuma, Yimeera is a political refugee. We need to hide her, and the best place to do it is in the middle of a mixed colony.”
    Yimeera was a soft lavender with beautiful, sparkling wings. She was shy and kept her eyes to the ground for the most part, but when she finally looked up at Illuma, the brilliant rainbow eyes took her breath away.
    “Do you want to become something with or without wings?” Illuma took her hand and led her to the design station. She rarely used it, but as she was creating a place to hide, it was best that Yimeera make a few critical choices.
    The voice was weak, but it rang like tiny bells. “I would like wings, but not these wings.”
    Iara was sitting nearby and simply watching the proceedings. She didn’t involve herself.
    “Well, little soul, I think you will do well at an Enjel colony, so we will give you Enjel wings.”
    They started with the wings, moved on to height, skin tone and eye colour. The hair colour was fun, as Yimeera chose a variegated blend of colours over deep grey skin.
    Everything was accounted for, down to teeth and fingernails.
    “This is not a simple procedure. We are building you from the ground up, changing everything. You are going to sleep now, and you will wake up when it is done. There will be a week where you won’t recognize yourself in a mirror and you will still have flashes of memory of how you used to look. A Minder can help with those, but as the Enjel don’t have a lot of psychics, you will be safer with them and their social structure than in another colony.”
    Yimeera swallowed. “I don’t want to be hunted anymore.”
    Illuma nodded. “In that case, we will just change everything about you except that.”
    Yimeera looked to Iara. “I don’t want them hunting me anymore.”
    “Listen to Illuma, pet. She will help you.”
    Illuma took a deep breath, sent the design to the business side of the lab to have the bots gather the