Odette's Eleventh-Floor Bonus
Mordecai reaching floor eleven would erase Odette's remaining indenture and barely fund the inner-system residency she needs for permanent safety.
Story so far
Odette has five seasons left under contract, but a crawler reaching the eleventh floor removes nine seasons and ends her service immediately. The associated bonus can purchase a modest inner-system residency berth.
Residency guarantees air, shelter, food, citizenship, and free body regeneration that can restore Odette's legs. Even paying Huanxin ten percent leaves the margin dangerously narrow, while thirty-three or fifty percent would force Odette back into a century of precarious work.
The stakes explain why Mordecai's survival matters more to Odette than an honorable death or the lives and safety of Uzzi and Armita.
Role
The bonus turns the puzzle outcome into Odette's last chance at legal and physical freedom.
Relationships
Sources — 1 recorded facts, by chapter
- Mordecai reaching floor eleven would erase Odette's remaining indenture and barely fund the inner-system residency she needs for permanent safety.