Starlight paused for a moment and looked at me and smiled. This was clearly a significant moment. Asher’s hand on the back of my neck was as light as the edge of a feather blade. If her intention was to launch me at Starlight or to push me out of the way was wide open. “Security is useless unless there is a threat to be protected from,” Starlight continued, “and there was no visible or acceptable threat from engineered lifeforms at the time.” Starlight would never say bottle born, not out of politeness rather because being born in any fashion brought lifeforms like me way too close to being natural for comfort. “I know that Shakbout here thinks that he is part of a historic first having engineered lifeforms elected to the Standing Committee; however, he is really part of a historic secon

