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  She snapped her arms down and ceased her stretch, reversing the arch of her chest. “Yes?”

  “Negotiator Kao has been asking for you. He is most insistent that you visit him.”

  She got to her feet. “Is he unwell?”

  “No, merely insistent.” He smiled and offered her his arm.

  She took the offered arm and let him lead her back to medical. “Do you unhook many Negotiators?”

  “It is a speciality. Working with the leads and the neuro science takes a special skill set.” He puffed his chest out with pride.

  Meribeth looked over and had to admit that her current companion was very well put together. His leonine features were handsome and the glint in his eyes had a definitely flirtatious aspect to it. “You did a very good job.”

  “Thank you. I have heard much about Kao’s skills as a Negotiator, so it was an honour to give him an easy transition back into the world of physical contact.” He stroked her fingers with his free hand.

  She fought the urge to release his arm and move aside. Instead, she sent a wave of calm through him that had the effect of flattening whatever arousal was starting to zip around in his body. It was a technique she used frequently.

  She felt a profound sense of relief when they entered medical. The tech led her straight to the tank where Kao was floating, and the scowl on her boss’s face showed some of that temper that she had run into over the past few days.

  “Thank you for the escort.” She smiled and dismissed the tech.

  “Anytime, Agent. My name is Jarvin if you wish to seek me out.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, but the shiver of heat and recognition was absent. Despite the fit aspect of his body, hers was not interested.

  She turned to face Kao, and his scowl was only slightly diminished. “Hello, Kao.”

  He pressed his hand to the plexi between them and with an instinct born of her recent research she pressed her hand to match his.

  Why did he kiss you?

  He kissed my hand. He didn’t kiss me. Probably for the same reason you did. Meri winced at the roar of anger that whipped through her mind. She didn’t pull her hand away from the glass, but it was tempting.

  She watched as Kao got himself under control, and she waited.

  I am sorry. I did not like seeing him touch you.

  I was touching him as well. It was a casual contact as you are very well aware.

  His mind was not casual.

  She couldn’t answer that, so she asked, Why did you want me here?

  I want you with me at all times. There is much to tell you about Reepha, and who better than an inhabitant to bring you up to speed on it.

  I have been doing my own research.

  Yes, but I can tell you a bit about your first mediation. It is a custody dispute.

  She blinked, there was emotion wrapped around his words. It seems common on Reepha to have that sort of dispute.

  Yes, but this is about my daughter.

  Her blood went cold as she realised that he had a child and that child had a mother that he had been attached to. Jealously ran through her, and she jerked her hand away from the tank.

  Meri’s thoughts spun wildly as she tried to get a handle on the situation. She ruthlessly throttled down her attraction to Kao, and when he tapped on his side of the tank, she put her hand back on the still-warm plexi.

  I did not mean to upset you. It is the Lahash way. We have the urge to spawn and we go to the Sivith cities, find a partner and do as nature wills. We then return to the lakes and seas, waiting for our children to be old enough to join us.

  Images streamed into her thoughts of being in the water with a tense pulse raging through her blood. The feelings were foreign, but as her sight focussed on nearby females, she noted the definite masculine tone of the thoughts. When he ceased transmitting the emotional mess, he had been approaching a group of females who were transfixed by his appearance.

  We attract the females whether they will it or not. We find the ideal mate for that time and place, and we join to make the next generation. I engaged in this activity before I left and received word that my daughter had been born in my absence. My family has kept in contact with her, but it is time for me to take her on as my responsibility.

  So, you want me to help you negotiate her custody?

  No, the settlement that her mother requires. It is an emotional time for both of us and clearer heads must prevail. That means you.

  So, what resources to you have to donate to the cause?

  He sent her a list of his holdings, properties and credit accounts. That should do.

  You have a home on land?

  I do, as well as one in the lake and one in the sea of Anutha.

  So, if she wants it, visitation is possible.

  No female wants that. Most are delighted to be free of their Lahash child.

  I think you underestimate the strength of the bond. Some women are attached to their children.

  The Sivith do not properly bond with Lahash children. That is why it is so important to have family who can visit and care for the child as it grows. It needs to know that it has a proper home when it can begin to breathe water.

  That is a lot to put on a child. The waiting.

  Our touch gives the child the information it needs. It is something that they learn as soon as they meet their first Lahash relative. My parents and sister were there when Niika was born. They have sent me dispatches for the last six years. She is ready to come home with me, but I have to be there to take custody. I have no idea how this will go, but I want you with me when it comes time to work out the details.

  He was frazzled, there was no doubt of that, but he had yet to answer one question that she had no idea how to ask, so she just blurted it out, thought to thought. What is your actual name?

  Vehn. My name is Vehn Kao, of the Kao line.

  Pleased to meet you, Vehn. Do you want me to call you Vehn or Kao?

  Vehn in private, Kao in public until the custody matter is settled.

  So, still all professional in our conduct? She couldn’t stop her smile.

  Until I can arrange it to be otherwise, I will say yes. Professional until Niika is home.

  She smiled and pressed her forehead against the glass. Fine, professional until Niika is home.

  With a new daughter in his life, he would lose any growing interest in her in a matter of seconds, Meribeth was quite sure.

  She would get her reference when he was otherwise occupied and then move on to the next world in her travelling adventure show. For a few short hours, she had imagined the possibility of Kao as a lover. The image of him as a father was rapidly overlaying it and doing wonders on flattening her hormones.

  I will speak with you tomorrow, Kao.

  I hope so, Meribeth. He sent a wave of heat and affection toward her, but she held it off with her talent. Above all, she was going to keep her calm even if she couldn’t have her dignity.

  Chapter Four

  Until she saw the sociology in action, she was not going to believe that a series of mothers could simply hand over their children at the appointed time. It defied everything that Meri had grown up with. Her mother didn’t easily part with any of her four children as her brothers and sisters-in-law had found out.

  “Are you ready?” The Negotiator was dressed in similar clothing to her own, but on him, it was horribly impressive, as was his regenerated long navy blue hair.

  “As ready as I can be. Where are we landing?”

  Kao pointed to the large structures and large tarmacs. “The spaceport. My family will meet us there and take us to the site where the mediations will be held.”

  “So, you will meet your daughter today?”

  “I sincerely hope so. I have spoken with her on audio connections, but for obvious reasons, there has been no visual contact.”

  “Right, the armour thing. All faceplate, no face.” Meri sighed and shifted nervously.

  “Correct. Are you all
right? You seem nervous.”

  He reached for her hand, and she jerked her arm away.

  “Meribeth, is something wrong?”

  “No. It has been a while since I have walked free on a world with a species so similar to my own. I simply want to keep my wits about me.” She winced as she realised she may have gotten too close to the actual problem. When he touched her, her heartbeat galloped out of control, her body warmed and she stared at him like he was the last man in the universe. It was part of the Lahash survival mechanism. They could enthrall with a look and seduce with a touch. She despised the thought that she would just be one of dozens he had simply whispered into his arms.

  He tried for her hand again, and she shifted. “No psychic contact, please, Mediator Kao.”

  He frowned. “I am not used to being refused, Meribeth. This is not like you.”

  She looked at his ridiculously handsome features and nodded tensely. “I know, but I think it should be until this mediation is done. I have to remain neutral for it to work.”

  She could feel him seething next to her. Their shuttle dropped and levelled out.

  “You have until this is concluded to straighten yourself out and be the Meribeth I am used to.”

  Her mouth quirked up on one side. “This is the Meribeth you are used to, you are just not used to being on the receiving end of the calm.”

  He sat grim and growling for the last hour of their journey. When the spaceport allowed them to land, Meri inhaled deeply, ignoring the scent of Kao as best she could.

  He was out of his seat the moment that the lights indicated safety.

  Meri unbuckled her harness and got to her feet, ignoring the hand he extended to her. She wasn’t going to take the risk of a contact reading. His ways were not her ways, and she was having a problem grappling with the methods of propagation of his species.

  She grabbed her two bags from storage, slipping them over her shoulders. She followed the other passengers to the shuttle exit and was immediately smacked by the humidity of Reepha.

  Her breathing was difficult, but her gills immediately began to flutter at her collarbone. She ruthlessly shut them and smiled blandly at the Sivith guards who were watching the debarkation. The Sivith were a handsome species—tall, elegant and graceful—they seemed to be in complete command of their bodies. Their uniforms were made of thin and nearly translucent material, but it seemed appropriate with the high humidity.

  Meri kept her face calm as she sought out Kao in the crush of bodies, and she slowly migrated toward him, only to be stopped by a Sivith guard. “Air breathers must check in over here. Please allow me to escort you, miss.”

  “Oh. Thank you. I am a little tired after the voyage.”

  He extended his arm, and she hesitated but then curled her hand around it. “Are you here for business or pleasure?”

  She smiled. “I believe I am here for business. I am to be one of the new mediators.”

  “Excellent. We are always in need of mediation services. What is your name miss?”

  “Meribeth Arkany of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra.”

  He escorted her into a large glass-walled building, and she went through the same procedure she had engaged in on every world she landed on, and she stood in the body scanner, waiting for it to chirp authorization for her to walk through.

  The noise it made wasn’t a chirp, but the guard who had attached to her on the tarmac took her hand and pulled her aside. “I thought you said you were an air breather.”

  “I am. Born and raised. I have a recently installed gill set for work. Is that the problem?”

  He frowned. “You installed gills?”

  “Well, an Alliance surgeon did it for me, but yes. Mediators have to have flexible physiologies, we go where we are needed and switching a breathing system is not something we do lightly.”

  She waited, knowing that they wouldn’t be able to refuse her entrance but curious to see how far he would take it.

  “So, you are not a Lahash?”

  “What did my scan tell you?”

  “It said you were not, but I have to say, you are far more attractive than most of the water breathers I have met.”

  She smiled and looked up into eyes that were a robin’s egg blue with a golden iris. The Sivith were just as pretty in their way as the Lahash were. It must be troublesome.

  A few Sivith women were walking around, their clothing so barely there, it would have caused Earth law enforcement to begin measuring for decency. All the fabric was a loose weave and it hung strategically around the curves of every Sivith female in the building.

  Her escort went and completed some document before handing her her bags. “I look forward to seeing you again, Mediator Arkany. My name is Captain Keel Nnar.”

  “Thank you for your help, Captain. I am sure that you will be able to find me again if there are any issues regarding my work visa.” She smiled and took her bags to the main hall of the port station where Lahash and Sivith milled and mixed.

  Kao saw her and relief crossed his features. “Where did you go?”

  “I was run through dry-lander customs and immigration. My gills threw them off. Anyway, I am here now, so let’s get to work.”

  He placed a hand on her back, and she tried not to flinch. “First, you will meet my family.” He steered her to a gathering of tall, elegant and blue Lahash.

  “Meribeth, this is my mother, Mir Kao, my father, Hisk Kao, and my sister Ys Kao. Family, this is my assistant and full-fledged mediator, Meribeth Arkany. She will be staying in the town house.”

  Ys had the same striking colouration as her brother, but on her--with the brief halter-top that exposed her gills and the low-slung skirt that clung to her hips by friction alone--that beauty changed into something deadly to women in her vicinity. No one would see them with this creature nearby.

  Ys stepped forward and extended her hand, palm out. “I am happy to greet you on behalf of our family.”

  Meri buttoned down her mind and kept it all business as she pressed her palm to Ys’s.

  It took effort to keep her expression bland. “Pleased to meet you, all of you. Thank you for your hospitality.”

  Ys pressed against Meri’s mind, but Meri politely forced her back and disengaged her hand. “Now, I would like to see some of your city. Can you show me where I am staying and let me know when and where I am to begin the mediation?”

  She addressed her questions to Kao, and he looked like he wanted to read her the riot act once again but instead his mother moved forward. “I will show you to the house, dear. It is overlooking the water but near to downtown. A perfectly lovely location.”

  Meri was swept away by Mir. There was no other term for it. The older woman had her hair swept up in a green cascade that made its way down to her ribs. Her thin clothing was designed for a bit more support than her daughter’s, but the perfect blue of her skin was as unblemished as the younger woman’s.

  “Now, Meribeth, call me Mir. I was wondering how long you have known my son. I have never seen him in this type of temper.” Mir hailed a skimmer and bustled Meri inside.

  “I have been his assistant for two years. The temper is new. He has been in a foul mood since he announced his decanting.” She watched the city fly by. Every area of the city was meticulously planned.

  Mir’s lips were twisted sharply in amusement. “What has triggered his mood?”

  “Usually it was my asking for a reference for my next assignment. I won’t get assigned until I have a reference from Kao, so I was pressing him on the matter.”

  “Ah, that does explain it. He does not like having things he loves taken from him.”

  Meri let that slide. “Why did he leave to become a Negotiator?”

  “Reepha needed to put a foot into the Alliance, and Vehn was suited to it. He had no objection to the isolation, but he didn’t know that the spawning had taken. Nina hid it from everyone until Vehn was gone.”

  This brought the focus to the case sh
e was about to mediate. “Why did she hide the pregnancy?”

  Mir smiled, “She was engaged to be wed and didn’t want her fiancé to find out. The Nnar are a proud and extensive family. Nina did not want to disappoint her husband-to-be with her lack of control.”

  “How does the spawning work, do the males just raid the seaside villages or something?”

  “Oh, my dear, no. The women line up when the moons are full, and they try to be chosen. The women who carry for the Lahash are well compensated and enjoy the pleasure. They rear the children while allowing the Lahash full visitation, and when the child is mature enough to breathe water, they become members of Lahash society.”

  “Can they visit their mothers?”

  “Of course. It is encouraged to maintain connections on all sides of the family for the child’s wellbeing.”

  “How is your granddaughter taking this?”

  “The same way that Vehn took it when he moved away from the land and into the sea. She is anticipating homesickness, but she is excited by the idea of living under the sea with other children who can do the same.”

  Meribeth froze in place. “Vehn was conceived on land?”

  “Certainly, two years before I even met Hisk. When we married, I became his mother and eventually bore Ys. We hired a Sivith nanny to take care of her on land and visited her every day.”

  “So, having your children raised on dry land isn’t an accident, it isn’t a choice?”

  “No, it is a biological necessity. It takes strong gills to push water through and the little ones just cannot manage. We have tried to raise them in our underwater cities, but children are children, they want to go outside with the others and can’t understand that one year makes all the difference.” There was sorrow in Mir’s voice.

  The idea of a child who could not survive playing outside with others made Meri shudder with the horror of the situation. “I think that raising them on the land is definitely a good idea in that case.”

  “Well, I am hoping that Niika’s transition goes smoothly. The finances can often be the sticking point.” Mir grimaced.

  “I will do what I can to keep things calm. Now, what constitutes a good settlement?” Meribeth picked Mir’s brain on the ins and outs of the finances of the Lahash and what a Sivith woman could and might demand. It was quite the list.