Page 172 of Commander’s Mate

I stared at that for a long time.

Then deleted the phrase.

Tivid objected.

“It is technically neutral.”

“It is technically horrible.”

“It avoids assuming biological relationship.”

“Then ask relationship.”

He considered.

“Acceptable.”

We changed it to:

CHOSEN RELATIONSHIP DESCRIPTION.

That field caused another argument.

A rescued man wrote BROTHER beside someone who shared no family identifiers.

Tivid flagged it.

“Not genetically related.”

“He says brother.”

“Then the field is inaccurate.”

“No. The genetic assumption is inaccurate.”

Tivid looked tired.

I was proud.

We separated biological relationship from chosen relationship.

Another survivor listed three mothers.

Tivid stopped objecting.

That argument, at least, was over.

The audit also found a dangerous problem.

Destination records were inheriting old auction-world names.

Not current names.

If a colony changed sovereignty after war, the system could route a person toward a government they had never chosen.

“Turn off automatic destination mapping.”

Transport complained immediately.