by Sharon Rose
Dhgnr moved farther from the door, allowing it to close. “I request to speak with you in private.”
“This is not about maintenance, I gather,” Ghent said.
“No. I must speak with you as Grfdn khn.”
“My consult room, then,” Ghent said, resuming his stride. Dhgnr had never requested privacy. Not even when Rnl had been involved in a cultural issue. True to Grfdn nature, Dhgnr had only told Ghent the problem was resolved, not how. What could he possibly want to discuss? They turned down an empty hallway. “Is this about Kena?”
“No,” Dhgnr said, “though I’d be interested in your impression of her.”
“She leaves one with so many impressions.” Ghent shook his head. “It’s hard to know where to start. She has boundless energy, is highly aware of other’s perceptions, and manages to convey her enthusiasm to nearly every race. I’ve never seen anyone weave into an existing team so quickly. It seems as though she’s been here weeks, rather than days.” A shame it wasn’t universal. He dropped his pitch. “There is only one race that’s impervious to her charm. Krdn and Hrndl stay as far away from her as possible.”
Dhgnr took several seconds to produce a carefully worded reply. “The training material she is working on is of no interest to Grfdn. Our navigators train according to a very different method.”
“I am aware, but the preparation for this training includes highly detailed scanning. Frethan is very pleased.” Ghent grinned and added, “Netlyn is ecstatic. She’s never had so much voluntary help with her scanning duties, nor so many attentive students.”
“That’s bound to please her. It’s her specialty, is it not?”
“True, but I don’t see why any navigator would prefer not to know what they’re flying into. Yet Krdn is contemptuous. What Hrndl may think, I cannot tell. She’s unusually silent. Has she commented on it?”
“Not on the scans,” Dhgnr said, answering slowly again. “She only mentioned that the training is not repeatable. I do not understand how non-repeatable actions can be considered training.”
Ghent stopped by the door to his consult room and touched the control panel. The door slid open. “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
An awkward silence followed as Ghent lowered himself into his wide chair.
Dhgnr also sat, his spine stiffer than the chair’s back rest. “It is Hrndl that I must speak of. There is a reason why she may show less interest than usual.” Dhgnr swallowed.
“Is there some problem between her and Kena?” Ghent asked.
“No, nothing of that nature.” Dhgnr drew a breath. “Forgive my hesitancy, please. This is awkward. A female should give you this information, but since there are no other Grfdn females with us, I must do it.” He rushed the unpalatable words, his gaze low. “Hrndl is approaching her first ovulation. She will need to mate, and will then need at least three days of seclusion while she delivers her ovum.”
“Ah.” Ghent paused, sliding his fingers across the granite table. “I realize this subject is taboo to a Grfdn, which means there is almost no information published on it. I’m reluctant to question you. Perhaps you could just tell me what you think I need to know.”
Dhgnr hurried through the critical points. “It is hard to predict how long it will be before Hrndl mates—perhaps about a month. She may become easily distractible, but she should be able to control it when necessary.” His nostrils pinched. “The Grfdn males are likely to fight. I know you would not normally allow this. I suggest you ignore it until Hrndl has mated. If a fight concerns you, tell me. I will address the issue.”
“I’ve always been able to rely on you to handle Grfdn affairs,” Ghent said, “but—after all, you are also male.”
Dhgnr’s voice slipped to a guttural rumble as he said, “Yes.” He checked it, his next words low but smooth. “I do not intend to court Hrndl. She is in a difficult situation, since there is no female to support her. I cannot provide the majority of that support, but at least I can keep the other males from overstepping boundaries. As khn, I am in the best position to perform that duty for her.”
Could this work? Doubtful, considering what he’d heard of Grfdn courtship—all unpublished, of course. Still, Dhgnr was as reliable as the annual floods that had soaked the canyons of Plynteth since time immemorial.
“All right.” Ghent said. “I know you don’t want this publicly discussed, but at least the section chiefs with Grfdn staff should know. And Metchell, also.”
“Why Metchell?”
Ghent raised his brow. “Do you think your men will fight for show only?”
“No, but they will not seek medical attention if they are injured.”
“Perhaps not, yet I expect my entire crew to keep themselves fit for duty. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” Dhgnr clipped the word short.
Ghent envisioned Dhgnr having to repeat this torturous conversation four more times. Careful to hide what could be viewed as pity, Ghent said, “I can probably communicate this much faster than you, but I don’t want to violate your taboo. Would it be acceptable for me to tell the others?”
“You may.”
Dhgnr left without further ado, and Ghent strolled to the edge of his balcony. Wrapping fingers and shurgs around the railing, he frowned at the majestic expanse. This could be a problem.
Krdn escorted Hrndl to the dining hall that evening. Several navigators walked with them and kept Hrndl involved in their conversation when they paused beside a table. Annoying, but he hid his impatience. His eyes traveled to the Grfdn table, checking who was present—all three of them.
Dhgnr was watching him. He lifted his clenched fist and pulled it down to his chest.
Krdn’s nostrils pinched. How dare Dhgnr summon him away from Hrndl with a khn’s command gesture? Dhgnr’s dominating eyes never wavered from Krdn’s for an instant, leaving no doubt of his meaning. He would enforce obedience.
Krdn held his head erect in defiance, but strode to the table. “Can you defend your right to command me away from Hrndl?” he demanded.
“Sit.” Dhgnr pointed at the chair directly across from him.
That would place Krdn at one end of the table next to Rnl. Separate from Hrndl. He opened his mouth to object, but Dhgnr said, “Shut up! Sit.”
Krdn threw himself into the chair with enough force to grind the pivot joints.
Dhgnr turned his head; a glint sliding across his dark, glossy hair. He locked eyes with the men one at a time, Krdn to Rnl to Frdn, and back again. “I have spoken with Ghent regarding Hrndl. He has relayed the information to your section chiefs and to Metchell. They will know that aggressive behavior may occur between you. They cannot know what bounds are proper in relation to Hrndl, but I know.” Dhgnr let those words hang for a moment. “Do not think that the absence of female support releases you from restraint. Hrndl will have the right to choose whomever she pleases. If any of you overstep proper courtship, you will feel my nerve wand.”
Rnl uttered an obscene growl. “You have no right to use any weapon, or even to state a single command, when a mating female is involved!”
“What a fool you are, Rnl,” Krdn said. He let the outer corners of his eyebrows lift as he relaxed against the back of his chair. “He retains all his rights as khn if he’s not courting the female.”
“Beyond doubt, but—oh!”
Dhgnr’s voice rumbled. “So glad you comprehend this with such clarity, Krdn. I will not hesitate to exercise those rights.”
The threat grated. Hrndl joined them, preventing his response. Just as well. Her gaze swept the array of dishes provided on the table so she wouldn’t need to go to the buffet. Her brows tilted upward as she took her seat. “Who has served me so lavishly?”
“Rnl and Frdn, beyond doubt,” Krdn said before the others could answer. “Quaint, is it not?”
“What’s the matter, Krdn?” Dhgnr asked. “Are you embarrassed that you failed to provide her with such a common courtesy?”
Krdn glared at
Dhgnr. What was he doing?
“My thanks to both of you,” Hrndl said, spooning food from the nearest dish onto her plate.
Dhgnr kept his eyes locked on Krdn’s. An unmistakable challenge.
Krdn finally lowered his gaze and inclined his head a few millimeters. So, Dhgnr was going to be difficult. Why? If he didn’t want Hrndl for himself, why should he care? What good to encourage inferior suitors when, beyond doubt, she would choose Krdn?
Had Hrndl noticed Dhgnr’s challenge? She gave no sign of it. The high tilt to the corners of her eyebrows revealed her delight as Rnl and Frdn showered her with attention. They vied to engage her in conversation. Hrndl laughed at some remark of Frdn’s. Krdn would have less trouble if they had stayed properly cowed; but, in the end, it wouldn’t matter. He could afford to let Hrndl enjoy a little fun. In a moment, he’d give her some conversation that actually interested her.
Several times, Krdn changed the subject to navigation, discussing concepts Frdn and Rnl would find difficult to relate to. Hrndl responded just as he hoped, following his lead every time.
He laughed within, let Frdn turn the conversation, and then brought it back again.
“What do you think about the course recommendations, Hrndl? Do you think another correction is necessary before we drop from slip?”
Dhgnr sneered. “Is navigation the only subject you know?”
Krdn’s throat vibrated, but he gave no air to the growl. “No, but it is the most interesting one to Hrndl and me.”
“You are second navigator, Krdn,” Dhgnr said. “Beyond doubt, you’re hoping to become a chief navigator at some point. Every captain expects his chief officers to understand broader concerns than their own interests. I wonder when I will see that quality in you.”
Krdn held his tongue. Insults from a suitor, he could deal with. But from a khn? No, that would not end to his credit.
Dhgnr drew Frdn and Hrndl into conversation. Several minutes later, he introduced the subject of their newest navigator. Krdn rejoined the conversation, certain Hrndl would agree with his disparaging remarks about Kena.
She seemed more interested in the berries she was passing, one at a time, from her tongs to her small mouth.
Dhgnr interrupted his lengthy criticism. “Tell me something, Krdn. Who on this ship would you judge to be the most skilled at racial interaction?”
What now? “Ghent, I suppose.”
“And who would be the best judge of another’s abilities in that area?”
Krdn held his posture rigid. “Ghent, of course. What is your point?”
“Ghent is impressed by Kena’s interracial skills,” Dhgnr said. “He is not impressed by yours. Nor am I.” He sipped his water, holding Krdn’s gaze over the drinking cylinder. “It’s not so many months since you were promoted. If Frethan wasn’t so leery of favoring a member of his own race, I doubt you would have that title you think so much of. Kena’s piloting skills exceed yours. Consider your position well.”
Krdn growled deep in his throat and crushed the fruit he held in his tongs. “Do not dare compare me to that arrogant little Human. You know nothing of the skills required of a navigator.”
“Your complaints of Kena’s arrogance are like an ocean complaining that raindrops are wet.”
Chapter Nine
Kena paced, counting the minutes until she could escape from boredom. She’d been stuck in nav command all morning, taking her turn to monitor as the Ontrevay traveled along its programmed course. She shared the duty with Elna, a skillful navigator who seemed incapable of any conversation longer than three sentences. Not the sort to enliven a tedious shift.
Kena’s relief arrived ten minutes before she was due.
“Netlyn!” Kena exclaimed. “You darling! You’re early.”
Netlyn laughed. “A little short on excitement? I figured this was the least I could do. You’ve made my life so much easier these past few days. Anything to report?”
Kena gestured to the displays that ringed the room, turning in a complete circle to encompass them all. “Do but look. Are they not fascinating?”
Netlyn’s gaze swept the screens, taking in the symbolic detail at a glance. “Uh…no.”
Kena adopted a despairing tone “You are so hard to please.”
Netlyn shook her head and gave Kena a playful push toward the door. “Oh, get to your meal before the crowd arrives.”
Few crew members were in the dining hall when Kena entered. She took bread from the buffet, covered it with a Prednian spread, and selected a few varieties of alien produce.
One bowl held a welcome surprise; deep red, juicy strawberries. The label included a description and the information that they were a new addition to the horticulture section. Fresh Terran food on an interracial ship? She must meet this chef who’d ordered a Terran fruit.
A dish that looked much like rice, but smelled like lemon and mint, piqued her interest. Its label contained a Grfdn name, which she couldn’t pronounce, but no warning against Human consumption. She added a spoonful of it to her plate.
Kena glanced around the hall. Only Hrndl was seated at the Grfdn table. Just the sort of opportunity she’d been waiting for. She made her way to the table and asked with Grfdn formality, “Pardon the intrusion, but may I join you at meal?”
Hrndl had no desire to eat with the Human, but Kena had stated the request with perfect courtesy, even phrasing the Prednian words in Grfdn structure. To refuse when she sat alone would be a boorish insult. There was nothing to do but consent. “You may share my table,” she said with equal courtesy.
Kena thanked her and slid into a chair. “I’ve been hoping to find some time outside of duty to spend with you.”
Oh, no. What did some time mean? “Why?”
“To get to know you a little.” Kena sliced off a piece of strawberry—small enough for Grfdn etiquette—and put it in her mouth.
“Why?”
Unhurried, Kena chewed and swallowed. “Establishing rapport with crewmembers is part of the way Humans coordinate.”
“Humans know nothing of coordination.”
“Really?” Kena said. “Do you know many Humans?”
Hrndl clasped a morsel in her tongs. “You don’t even have a word for it.”
“Actually, we do; although many races misunderstand that word, so we don’t use it often.”
“You must be referring to teamwork.” Hrndl said, pushing the awkward syllables between her lips. “The organizational structure through which you fight—excuse me, I mean compete—with one another.”
Kena only smiled. “What a perfect example of a common misconception.”
“Spare me the explanation that teamwork is, in fact, coordination. I already read it in my assigned study of your race, and I am unconvinced. I repeat, Humans know nothing of coordination.” Hrndl picked up the wide drinking cylinder with both hands. So clumsy. Prickles moved down her arms. She took a careful sip of water. Kena’s eyes were fixed on her. Couldn’t she find somewhere else to look?
“Then I’ll rely on you to teach me,” Kena said.
Teach her! Hrndl quivered in mid-sip. Water spilled from the cylinder and dribbled down the side of her chin. She couldn’t even wipe it away with this monstrous cylinder in her hands. She must look like a child. Beyond doubt, this arrogant Human would enjoy hearing her apologize, but there was no way to avoid it.
Kena spoke before Hrndl could utter a word. “Aren’t these cylinders the most awkward things imaginable? I grew so tired of them on the Prednian ship Baktel. Perhaps they were understandable there, but I see no reason why we must put up with them in a crew as diverse as this one.”
Kena rose and went to the re-forming station. She returned with two containers of water: a tall, slender glass, which Humans preferred, and a Grfdn drinking pouch.
Hrndl stared at the pouch Kena placed before her. Just like the pouches she’d grown up with. A broad cone with the pale color and soft texture of animal skin. Its darker tip hid a valve, w
hich opened when squeezed between the front teeth. What else would anyone expect for a race with a deep cultural dislike of exposing any portion of one’s little mouth? So much easier to suck water from a pouch than to form thin lips against a cylinder’s edge. Hrndl longed for the pouch—almost reached for it. Then, she remembered.
Her eyes darted from the pouch to Kena’s chest, where her loose-fitting shirt partially hid twin bulges. If a drinking pouch resembled that unmentionable anatomy as closely as was said— How could Kena have the audacity to even fill a pouch, much less bring it to their table? Oh, and worse! Now Hrndl was staring in the most offensive manner possible. She jerked her eyes back to Kena’s face. “You must know I cannot possibly drink from that in your presence. Why do you taunt me? This is a fine example of establishing rapport.”
Kena’s eyes widened. “Why can’t you drink from a pouch when I’m present?”
Hrndl hesitated. Kena’s surprise seemed genuine. Could a Human really not know? How could she answer without saying the actual word? “Because…because of…”
Krdn entered the dining hall, his eyes going straight to the Grfdn table. A drinking pouch sat in plain view. Beyond belief! How could Hrndl be foolish enough to use such a thing? No one else seemed to have noticed it yet. He still had time to get rid of it. He strode to the table.
“What are you doing with this?” he demanded in an under-voice.
Hrndl straightened. “I didn’t get it. Kena did.”
Krdn’s voice rumbled through a clenched throat. “How dare you?”
“How dare I what?” Kena asked. “It’s a common Grfdn article.” She swept a hand toward her glass and the pouch. “Why should it be so terrible that I brought water in the containers we both prefer?”
“Everyone knows that drinking from a pouch in the presence of a Human is the worst possible insult. If Ghent hears that Hrndl drank from this, she could be demoted. Even forbidden from inter-racial ships.”