Free The V'Dan by Jean Johnson Page B

representatives of the other sentient races in the Alliance. Rosa took a seat to her left, and Li’eth picked a spot near the broad, floor-to-ceiling window that filled most of the forward wall.
    That window was shuttered at the moment. The others filed in, ranging from Captain al-Fulan and two Marines who werefree at the moment in their duty shifts to attend, to Clees and his ever-present hovercameras, a couple nurses, and a handful of embassy personnel. The Imperial Prince subtly tugged his uniform jacket straight as they took seats, and began.
    “Today, you will be meeting the Choya. They are an amphibious race, preferring temperatures and humidities warmer than customary for . . . our joint species,” he amended, carefully not calling anyone a V’Dan. “Under previous conditions, you would have met representatives from both the Choya and the Salik at the same time, as they both prefer humidity and heat . . . but obviously that is no longer possible. For reasons of comfort, the others will be introduced in their own pairings.”
    He paused, lifting his head a little. Jackie glanced over her shoulder to see that one of the two Marines had lifted her hand. Upon being acknowledged by their host, she stood, shoulders and chin level, arms at her sides. “Imperial Prince, I am wondering why you would introduce the aliens in pairs, sir!”
    Jackie felt a touch of humor in Li’eth’s underthoughts. They colored his aura with bits of gold, making her reflexively blink the vision away. She wasn’t used to
seeing
auras; that was his ability, and a distracting one for the Gestalt to give to her. Seeing things from a distance—more like sensing but with some inner vision—yes, she could see things via clairvoyancy, when it related to wanting to merge a holokinetic illusion with its surroundings, but not auras.
    “Please relax . . . Private, yes?”
    “Sir, Private First Class Jay Krimmer, sir!”
    (
The words you want in Terranglo are “At Ease,”
) she offered.
    Dipping his head, Li’eth switched languages briefly.
“At Ease, soldier, and be seated. This is not a formal meeting, and I am not in your chain of command.”
Switching back to V’Dan, he gave her an explanation. “Introducing alien races in pairs was suggested by the K’Katta as sound psychology. Indeed, experiments have proved that the alien races, when introduced in pairs, are more likely to be perceived as allies. Alone, they seem friendless and thus less friendly. Together, they can be viewed in terms of ‘If those two can get along with each other in the same room, then we should be able to get along with them, too.’
    “This has not only proved to be effective among . . .
Human
mind-sets, but among their own kinds as well. For the most part, the Salik being the current notable exception,” he stated. Returning to the subject of introductions, he gave them some information about the species they were about to meet. “The Choya, being amphibious and preferring saltwater to freshwater habitats—though they can occupy freshwater with the right provisions—are fairly unique. Even the Salik rely more upon lung power once they become adults, but the Choya remain in possession of fully functional gills as well as functional lungs from birth.
    “The females tend to be slightly smaller than the males, and have multiple front-to-back crests, usually no less than three but most often four or five; males tend to be slightly larger and usually have only one, or at most, two crests. Male crests are further distinguished by being taller than female ones by a couple size factors—in measurement terms that don’t require you to try to translate between Terran and V’Dan systems, it’s roughly the difference between a single fingerbone versus an entire finger,” he offered. “There is, of course, no shame in not being able to tell them apart right away, and you can always refer to them by the honorific meioa, or in third person by the