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  She stomped into her boots and pointed in the direction that her private grotto was located. They walked together in silence, she directed him with gentle nudges on his arm and they passed through the tumbled rocks of the landscape until they reached the imperceptible crack in the large rock. “This way.”

  He frowned down at her with a sceptical look in his eyes. “How can you fit?”

  “The narrow entrance is an illusion cast by shadow. Come with me.”

  She took the lead, pulling him into the damp darkness that suddenly came alive with phosphorescent light.

  “Rivvin, welcome to my private office.” She smiled and relaxed as she always did when she saw the wide pool with gentle ripples caused by the waterfall.

  “This is amazing. It is like one of the ancient retreats in our histories.”

  Emharo smiled and walked to the edge of the pool. She took down one of her towels and set it on the smooth stone worn by time.

  She turned her back to Rivvin and quickly undressed, slipping into the water before she could lose her nerve. The water was cool and sweet, refreshing and calming her.

  When a pale figure circled her under the water, her calm turned into embarrassed heat.

  Rivvin emerged from the water with a smile. “This place is amazing. How did you find it?”

  She gave him a sarcastic glance. “I found it because I was looking for it. I didn’t know you liked fresh water.”

  He shrugged. “It is just water. That is the bonus to being one of the Nine and not an actual fish. My body is far more adaptable.”

  She treaded water and then exhaled to let the water close in over her head. She rinsed her scalp and reappeared on the surface, looking for traces of her visitor. When she didn’t see him, she began to slowly make her way over to the waterfall.

  Her shoulders ached and the pounding of the water untied her muscles. When she felt clean and relaxed, she slipped back into the water and right into Rivvin’s arms.

  “Oh, excuse me. I didn’t see you there.”

  He grinned, “I was merely getting some nice exercise when I saw your toes re-entering the water, and I thought to ease your entry. You seem tired.”

  “I am. If you are in the mood, please haul me back to where I have that towel, and I will feel markedly better about being naked in front of a stranger.”

  He chuckled. “Among the Water Folk, there is nothing unusual in nudity. It is preferable to be circumspect with strangers, but no one comments on it.”

  She blinked. “Oh. That makes me feel a little better.”

  “Good.” He didn’t appear to move, but they floated toward the spot where she had entered the water.

  “I think I might need swimming lessons. You move so easily that I have to confess I am jealous.”

  “It is something that comes with practice.” He stood and helped her to her feet.

  She quickly bent and wrapped a towel around her. The warm, fluffy fabric felt good against her skin.

  She asked, “Do you want a towel? I keep several stocked.”

  Rivvin smiled. “No. My skin does not need it. I exude a non-permeable layer while in the water.”

  Em nodded and pattered up the stone slope to the desk. She flicked her heater on and the temperature in the room rose in a few seconds.

  She yawned and took a seat on the small couch.

  Rivvin joined her. “You seem tired.”

  “I have been awake for a while, and it has been a trying day.” She smiled and propped her head on her fist. “Why are you on the mother ship?”

  He sighed and leaned back, his thigh touching hers. “I was on the planetary council of Vmesh when the call went out for representatives of the Water Folk to join the mother ship. I had no family to worry about, and I craved adventure. I signed up, got the basic training offered to all members on the ship and majored my studies in the biology of Underhill. It never occurred to me that we would actually make it here or that another species had taken up residence.”

  “It surprised us, too, to find out that the owners of the ancient cities were still out there somewhere.” Em chuckled.

  “I believe we should return to the lab before you fall asleep.” Rivvin touched her arm.

  She smiled. “You are probably right.” Em got to her feet and dropped the towel, walking calmly to her spare clothing. The dress dropped over her head and the sandals were snug on her feet as she picked up the towel and dried her hair.

  “Okay, I will be alert for about ten minutes. Let’s get going.” She yawned. She walked to the desk and flicked off the heater, double-checking that it was off.

  He was dressed and at her side in seconds.

  “I will walk you back to the habitat and then join my companions in the guest quarters.”

  She walked with him and paused while her eyes adapted to nothing but starlight.

  Her path lit up in her mind, and she took his arm to lead him through the stone forest and back to the coastline.

  Chapter Six

  Em woke, and there was a smile on her lips. He had kissed her good night. She touched her mouth in remembrance as her parents started to move around in the main living area.

  “Em, are you awake?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yes. I will be down in a minute.”

  Em grabbed one of her swimsuits and tugged it on before slipping into a shapeless jumpsuit. If she was going to be in and out of the water all day, she wanted to make it easier.

  She joined everyone in the kitchen and was unsurprised to see Weelar there, working on breakfast. He flipped, cracked and whisked his way through the morning supplies until the moment when he said, “Morro has set the table. We can join him in the dining room.”

  That was the hint to each to grab a platter and carry it in to the dining room where the table had, indeed, been set.

  Morro was standing next to Rivvin, and they were in deep discussion about something when everyone trooped in on them. They parted, but Morro was scowling intently at the member of the Water Folk.

  Em set the platter of scrambled something or other on the table and took her seat. Rivvin sat across the table from her and her mother sat on her right.

  Weelar proudly went through a description of the breakfast foods, and with her determination screwed into place, Emharo took some and passed the first platter to Rivvin.

  Their move started everyone reaching for the platters, passing them around and starting the meal.

  Em shrugged as she ate her way through the fish and all the other options. “Weelar, I am guessing that you like fish.”

  He grinned. “It has been a few months since the last one was consumed on the ship. I have been looking forward to this trip more than you can imagine.”

  “No, I can imagine the excitement of the familiar being all around you again, even if it is a food ingredient. Not having it makes it the entire focus of your consciousness.” She smiled and took a huge sip of tea to wash down the scrambled eggs and squid.

  Morro and Rivvin were eating with enthusiasm, and between the three men of the Nine, the meal gradually ended in empty platters and full bellies.

  Harold asked the other men, “So, what are your plans for today?”

  Morro inclined his head. “I would like to look into your laboratory procedures and findings to see if I can assist in any way.”

  Rivvin said, “I will need to take a boat into deeper water to tag some shoals of fish. Do you have a vessel or will I need to request a shuttle from the embassy?”

  Emaline looked at Em and smiled, “You can take the Nitka out.”

  Em nodded. “We have a vessel. I will take you out.”

  Morro frowned, “Out where?”

  “Deep sea over a warm current that hosts hundreds of species. I can show you the maps after we tidy up.” She turned to Weelar, “If you have a shopping list, we can pick up just about any aquatic species on our way back.”

  Rivvin shook his head. “Weelar will just have to deal with any samples we bring
back. I promise to bring back enough for dinner, aside from that, you are on your own.”

  Weelar frowned, “I could come with you.”

  Em smiled. “Sure. There is plenty of room.”

  Rivvin grimaced. “That will be appropriate. When do we leave?”

  Em lifted her plate. “As soon as all the dishes are in the washer.”

  The men got to their feet, and Em and her mother watched the miracle of four men doing all the dishes. Even Harold held his own with the scarier men of the Nine around.

  Em quickly loaded her dishes into the washer and went to the tech room of the lab to get the remote for the Nitka as well as some tanks for her own use.

  Her arms were full as she left the lab, and she waddled to the weapons shed at the base of the dock.

  Weelar was squirming like a small mammal and rubbing his hands together in delight. Rivvin looked a little irritated.

  “Are you ready?” Emharo kept her voice pleasant.

  Rivvin nodded. “Where is the vessel?”

  “I have to call it.”

  “It’s alive?”

  “No, but we don’t like to keep it too close to the lab, just in case.” She raised her arm and pointed the remote at the headland.

  A dark shape rose out of the water and sped toward them, riding high on the water.

  “That is a Tokkel ship.” Weelar’s voice was nervous.

  “Not anymore. It has been rewired to my genetic key. The Nitka crashed in the ocean, and my cousin Neeka and I worked to reprogram it and make it suitable for our work.”

  Rivvin watched the huge, open-topped vessel approach. “How did you know how to reprogram it?”

  “Um, we had a friend who helped us figure it out. Techs are not thick on the ground here, but she managed to give us a schematic after she worked things out.”

  “What is her name?”

  “Ularica. She’s on a retreat right now. She is trying to still her mind.”

  “Ah, I thought it might have been the Potential.” Rivvin smiled.

  “Nope. Signy isn’t mechanically inclined. She can understand stuff but not repurpose it. Ula agreed that if we had the vessel, it would be more useful than leaving it in the water, so she helped us design the changes. It took us the better part of the year, but we got the Nitka up and running.”

  Emharo watched the beast of a ship come to the dock and settle in the water, the gangplank descending with a smooth move.

  “So, you and your cousin rebuilt the brain of this ship?” Weelar swallowed nervously.

  “No, we built a brain for this ship. There wasn’t one. The whole front compartment was ripped wide open by your ships. We used the engines and the framework. The rest was shaped one panel at a time.”

  She heaved the tanks onto her shoulder, lifted the bag of items she had collected and walked toward her pride and joy.

  Rivvin had a bag of his own with him, but he grabbed her tanks from her without a word. Weelar was hanging back as if afraid to get too close to the Tokkel construction.

  Her boots thudded on the plank as she headed onto the deck of the Nitka. She caressed the side of the ship, “Hello, sweetie.”

  Rivvin looked at her with an amused expression, and Weelar rushed onto the deck, relaxing by inches.

  “Are we ready? Do we need anything?”

  Rivvin gave her a challenging look. “Do we have water and food aboard?”

  Em lifted her bag. “Dry rations and well water, but it will do.”

  Weelar swallowed, “If we find likely species, we can have something for lunch.”

  She chuckled and went to the controls, withdrawing the plank and placing her hands on the flat screen for identification. A halo emerged from the ship, and with a smooth move, she settled it on her head.

  “What is that, Emharo?”

  “The controls. Take a seat, we are on our way.”

  With no other warning, the ship lifted in the water and headed out to sea.

  Chapter Seven

  The Nitka was stable in the water. It rode high on a cushion of air and water for balance. Ula’s engine design was amazing, and it always struck Em that her friend was truly one of the most brilliant and tortured people that Em had ever met.

  She came to the seating area and smiled at her guests. “So, do you have a plan once we arrive?”

  Rivvin smiled, “Of course. I have a series of tags that I will use to mark the species that were identified in our histories as being suitable for tank raising. Once the markers are in place, I will summon a collecting ship, and it will come and scoop up the entire shoal of fish.”

  “Good. Weelar, will you be entering the water? We have a wet hatch in the bottom of the ship.” She offered it to him, sensing that he would prefer to enter the water from a secure are.

  “I will. It has been a while, and I don’t think I have ever been in open water before.”

  Em was confused, “I thought you were one of the Water Folk?”

  Weelar sighed, “I am. I have spent my life on star ships, so open water is actually a foreign thing to me.”

  Rivvin explained, “Just as most of the city dwellers here would not be able to forage in the woods or sea, not all Water Folk have experience in wild water.”

  Em blushed. “I am sorry. I should not have assumed.”

  Weelar waved his hand to dismiss her words. “It is fine. It happens a lot.”

  “I can swim with you if you like?”

  He looked at her in confusion. “How?”

  “I brought a dive suit and swim tanks. I can’t breathe water, but I can swim with fair dexterity, and more importantly, I know what the sea creatures around here consider to be normal behaviour.” She smiled in a helpful manner.

  Rivvin frowned. “I don’t want you in open water.”

  She smiled brightly. “Tough. This is my job, and I will do it. You do yours and keep yourself safe. I will take care of me.”

  “That is not going to happen.”

  Em crossed her arms and frowned at him. “If you cut my lines, I will free dive.”

  Weelar was looking frantically between the two of them. “You two are pairing off?”

  Em scowled at him. “Not if Rivvin doesn’t pull his head out of his ass.”

  She stalked back to the front of the vessel and looked out over the waves. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes and focussed on finding the current. In the distance, a low lavender gleam began, and as the Nitka got closer to it, it shifted into her gold identifier for a desired object.

  Rivvin came up next to her. “I apologize. I am dealing with some changes within me that I am not completely at ease with.”

  She turned and went up on her toes, kissing him softly. “I am dealing with this as well. I don’t know what being with you will entail, and it scares the hell out of me.”

  He brushed his hand along her cheek. “There will be change, on both our parts. I am afraid that the bulk will fall on you after we formalize our bond.”

  “You are that sure of yourself?”

  “I am that sure of you. You knew that I was yours the moment that you saw me. Your heartbeat changed and your blood warmed.”

  She swallowed nervously. “You can see all that?”

  “My people developed as ocean predators. It is what we are designed to see.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  “We are almost to the current.”

  “I will prepare the tags.” He nipped gently at her lower lip before he turned and joined Weelar in the rear of the vessel.

  Emharo tugged her duffel open and withdrew her dive suit and gear. She tested her tanks and waited until they were coasting into the dive spot before putting the portable remote on her wrist.

  A jump, wiggle and jerk and she had her dive suit on to the waist over her swimsuit.

  Weelar saw her, and his eyes widened in shock. “You are wearing that?”

  “The suit has insulating properties. I don’t repel water like you do, so I have to wear the suit on d
ives like this.” She wedged her arms into the sleeves and jerked the suit up into position. With smooth moves, she sealed the suit. “The wet entry is this way. Nitka will remain here, in position, unless I call for her.”

  She grabbed her tanks, mask and fins and smiled as she led the way down a ramp that opened at her approach. The Nitka settled in place.

  Rivvin had his own bag with him, and Weelar looked like he was about to be sick.

  Inside the underbelly of her ship, the wet entry opened at her touch. It was an octagon fifteen feet wide and a bright UV light was aimed at the opening.

  “The Nitka puts out a repulsion field that keeps the entrance clear. No predator will follow anyone who is not us under the ship. Weelar, is that understood? If you just want to look around, stay under the ship.”

  Weelar nodded.

  “With the mask in my mouth, I won’t be able to speak and I don’t have time to teach you the hand signals that I have worked out, so go out, do what you have to and come back to the ship.”

  Rivvin knelt and assembled the gun that would fire the trackers, putting the spares in a net bag tied to his thigh. He nodded. “Understood. Weelar will be able to find me if I end up getting lost.”

  Emharo smiled, “As will I. Don’t make me come looking for you.”

  He grinned and jumped into the water, circled and then swam away.

  She put her tanks on her back and sat at the edge of the entry. “Coming?”

  Weelar nodded. “If you can do it, I can do it.”

  With her mask and respirator in place, she tipped backward into the cool embrace of the ocean.

  A splash next to her brought Weelar into sight.

  Smiling around her respirator, she pointed and led him through the water and toward the reef teeming with life.

  The bright colours of the fish were a delight to Weelar. His face was expressive and his hands were curious. She stopped him several times when he reached out for something poisonous, and he hopefully read her warning in what was visible of her face.

  Out in the column of the current, Rivvin flashed and flickered as he moved around and found his target species.