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R eem was escorted to a huge hall where there were a dozen humans who froze when she entered the room.

Harwin smiled. “Reem, these people recognized you the moment we described you. When Jasmine added that you were a helicopter pilot, they burst into tears.”

“I am sorry to have caused so much trauma.” She inclined her head toward them, and there were more tears.

One woman had a mixed-species toddler, and the little one patted his mother’s thigh before running over to Reem.

He tugged at her hand, and she picked him up, walking over to his mother while another woman with an eight-year-old sobbed.

She ran toward Reem and clutched at her waist. “I remember you.”

“I wish I remembered you, little bit.”

Harwin blinked. “You are good with kids.”

Jasmine chuckled. “They always climbed onto her lap, even before the cancer treatment.”

The mother walked up to her. “He’s heavy. I can take him.”

“He doesn’t weigh anything, but he’s asleep.” Reem twisted to show the boneless little body.

“He’s been up teething and hasn’t slept in days.”

“I have a vibe about me. I knock the little darlings out.” Reem carefully removed the little boy and draped him on his mother.

The eight-year-old looked at her and said, “Up?”

Reem lifted the kid and settled her on her forearm while the kid leaned against her and breathed deep.

The mother in front of her gasped. “It’s your scent.”

“Yes. That is one thing I know. It keeps folks calm around me, which lets me stay calm.”

Ra said softly, “They have memories of you. They know your memories are gone and wish to share what they remember with you.”

“Excellent. Which way do I need to look?”

They led her to a pile of cushions and urged her to sit. Harwin and Ra sat nearby, and Jasmine was speaking with the folks who volunteered to show what they remembered of Reem. She was putting them in a certain order. Reem snorted. Jasmine did like to tell stories.

Harwin said, “I hope you don’t mind, but the other fused humans are curious.”

Reem looked at the colourful women and shrugged. “Pull up a cushion. I am here for the big show.”

The women grinned and settled on cushions, and Jasmine spoke to the first person while pressing a remote. Terran music that settled in Reem’s bones played. The room dimmed, and the projection started, looking out through the eyes of the older man who was sharing his memory.

They were huddled against a rock face, an open space ahead of them.

He made sure everyone was held back, and then they heard the whup-whup-whup of the helicopter.

It was huge for the space it was landing in, but it settled, and the rotors continued to move as the door opened and the pilot came out.

A wide grin was on Reem’s face as she yelled, “All aboooard!”

She sorted the survivors and packed the helicopter tight. The viewer was wedged under the co-pilot’s seat, where the seat had been removed to make room for three more.

Reem looked at him, winked, then the rotors moved faster, and they pulled up and moved forward, grazing the dead trees and flying out to an education station shuttle.

She set them down and slowed the rotors again, helping them out and to the friendly aliens who were ready to give them their med checks.

The man looked at Reem as she looked at a tablet with more coordinates on it. More people who needed a lift.

“Thank you. We didn’t think anyone could come to get us.”

Reem grinned. “Door-to-door service. Now, go and get a shower. You know why.”

He entered the med unit.

Reem stroked the hair of two of the children who were curled up with her. “I am a little lippy.”

Jasmine lined the next person up. “On a good day. Foul-mouthed on a normal day.”

The next memories were similar. The sound of the helicopter, the arrival, the loading, and then up and over to a shuttle site.

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.”

Jasmine grinned. “So, I might have fun genes in me?”

“Sweetie, I think you have enough.”

Harwin laughed. “You aren’t wrong.”

“All seriousness, I got this from my mom’s side.”

“Dang.” Jasmine sighed. “So, you flew a helicopter in an eruption and then hijacked a shuttle while dead?”

“Well, you know, after the impact, I had to find new hobbies. You already had knitting, so I had to diversify.”

The humans in the room burst into laughter.

The Hmrain smiled cautiously.

Ra said, “The calculations have been done, and I would offer you a meal first, but...”

“No one wants to clean vomit from a restoration unit.” She looked around and blinked. She had collected all of the children around her. “Uh, I am stuck.”

Chortling parents came and reclaimed their offspring. The kids were all sleeping, and the parents moved to the side of the chamber.

Reem caught on. “There’s a buffet.”

Harwin smiled. “Sorry. A gal’s gotta eat.”

Harwin pulled her to her feet, and Ra led her away to a different unit than the one that had done the assessment.

“This is not a fast process. You need life support while it works, and it is going to take some time. Weeks.”

“Well, hell.” She sighed. “Can you let Wenvari know that I will be late?”

“I will. You will have to enter unclothed.”

She shrugged. “Fine.” Her shoes were set near the unit, and she disrobed, folding things neatly. She felt a light touch on her back.

“They didn’t heal those scars?”

“Not scars. Birthmarks. They have been freaking out my physicians since I was born.”