She could do it, you know. Scream at her! Give vent to the bloody fury, bawl and wail that people choosing for themselves is not a goddamn flaw in the design! Why don't you get that, why [i]can't[/i] you understand, how can the humans have perfected you so much that you can't choose for yourself?!

Grab the plans, hold them to the light, watch the glorious Bloodfeather diagram smolder and ignite. She doesn't want to hear the Katraph gush about how good the Kaeri are at murdering surplus leaders in time of crisis. Let it all vanish in flames. She could do that!

Or lift the Katraph off the floor! Grab her by the neck, slam her against the wall! Anything to let it out! [i]Make[/i] her understand how this isn't okay, how she isn't okay, how can [i]you[/i] be okay with this?!

And that's the thought that chases her from the room.

That's the thought that chases her down the hall to the grand garden, to the enormous fountain, to the spot where she can plunge her head under the water and scream until her chest must surely implode, and scream some more for good measure. Scream, because the alternative is worse.

Because she's a monster! She talks about killing and cloning and personality death as if it were what flavor of cake were best!

And the Katraph is also a victim of the very systems she espouses! She could no more accept that biomancy is wrong than change her mind! She'd accept the beating and the flames and the shouting with a smile, and ask for more, and accept that all of it was right and her fault, and how can she help you, please?

She returns, dripping wet, still furious, but at someone else.

"Just. Just stabilization. No pet package, no conditioning, no mental switches, no personality rewrites, no Lethe. If I find out you've cloned her or edited her or anything other than saving her life and helping reduce the effects of Rampancy... Just. Keep her alive. We'll deal with the aftermath ourselves."