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“Lord Wenvari?”She stood in the centre of the space.

There was a rustle to her left, and a dark figure emerged, walking slowly to the desk.She stood where she was until he was seated, and then she bowed deeply.

“Stand up, Comptroller Reem.I need to speak with you.”

She straightened and waited.

“Now, first off, Zell has possession of some plants I want for my collection.I need you to bring those back with you, in whatever vessel Ra uses to send you back.”

She blinked.“Ra will send me back?”

“Yes.Zell is eager to have his consort settle on his world, and he is going to need many plants and trees for that.She’s a farmer, if his noxious messages are to be believed.”

“Noxious?”

“He has thrown dignity to the wind and gone chasing after his consort.It is unbecoming.”

“If she is a consort, he must be getting the sustenance that he needs from her.I am assuming it’s a female.”

“It is.Apparently, her species breeds easily.”

“Interesting.Terran?”

“Yes.Aren’t you a Terran?”

“I am.I am unable to breed, though, so I am safe.”

“You haven’t looked at me.”

“It is against protocol.”

“Look at me.That’s an order.”

She lifted her chin and looked at him.He had the grey of the main population, a mask of black across his eyes, black wings, and none of the colourful identifiers of the population below.

“You are pale.”

“I descended from pale Terrans.”

“You have a grey undercast.”

“I must be tired.”

He cocked his head.“Your expression doesn’t vary.”

“Side effect of my injury and the means used to restart me.”

“Restart?”

“Yes.I was dead, with my brain sliced in two.They put in an implant, and now I am up and speaking to you.My memories and emotions were the largest casualty.”

“Your reproductive capability?”

“Long gone.A decade and a half gone.”

“What caused the removal?”

“Cancer.It was that or death.My mother felt I made the wrong choice.”She spoke blankly.