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column of the current, Rivvin flashed and flickered as he moved around and found his target species.
    She pointed out several edible species to him, including her personal favourite, sugar fish. What the Nine called them, she had no idea, but the meat was sweet and had a hint of citrus. She loved them.
    When the first predator swam past, Weelar froze in place. Em showed him the calm pose to take and the beast disappeared into the distance.
    He let out a stream of bubbles as he sighed.
    A ping on her wrist warned her that her oxygen was low, and she patted her tank and pointed back to the hull of the Nitka.
    Weelar was disappointed, but he accompanied her back to the ship with slow and easy motions.
    Em stepped on the hydraulic lift while Weelar boosted himself out of the water. Her hands unbuckled the tanks, and she peeled off her mask. “ So, did you have fun? ”
    “ There is so much to see. ” Weelar ’ s voice was amazed.
    “ There is. I have been down a hundred times and still haven ’ t seen it all. ” She grinned and hauled her tanks to the filter and compressor.
    “ Is this area pressurized? ”
    “ Of course. If you want to go up to the deck, step on those stairs, seal the tube that will come around and walk up the spiral staircase to the deck. The hatch will open and seal behind you so that I don ’ t drown. ”
    He nodded and sat down. “ I will wait for you. ”
    She chuckled and worked to purge and fill her tanks again.
    “ You always refill them immediately? ”
    “ Yes. If I have to return to the water, I need to be able to act immediately. Waiting to refill the tanks could cost a life. ” She grimaced.
    “ I understand. Are you going to mate with Rivvin? ”
    She paused. “ I don ’ t know. I think so. I am not sure what is involved. ”
    “ Genetic transfer. There is a formal ceremony that you would enact at the embassy, and during the ceremony, there is a blood exchange. We share the ceremony with the Wildings. Not all species of the Nine need to key their females to them in such a way, but most do just for the sake of tradition. ”
    She blinked. “ Wow. We just get up in front of witnesses and make a promise. ”
    He cocked his head. “ How does that stop partners from straying? ”
    “ It doesn ’ t. ”
    “ Then, you have an inferior system. Once a couple genetically keys to each other, they are not stimulated by anyone else. ”
    “ Ah. Well, that is nice. ” She twisted her lips and checked her equipment again.
    “ What was that fish called that you pointed out to me? ”
    Em smiled. “ I call them sugar fish. They are sweet and have the charming tang of citric acid. I don ’ t know what you would call them. ”
    A clattering of the spear gun made her jump. Rivvin boosted himself out of the water, and there was a long, thin filament tied to his waist. He began to haul on it, and to Emharo ’ s surprise, there were four huge silvery fish on the end of the line.
    Weelar chortled with delight and helped Rivvin bring in the haul. The moment they were on the side of the entrance, Emharo closed the wet entry and the ramp descended again.
    She began to get an idea of the strength of the Water Folk when Rivvin flipped the four fish onto the deck and he pulled a knife out of his bag to begin gutting them. Each of the silvery, hard-fleshed fish had to weigh over a hundred kilos.
    He reached into the belly and pulled out something, grinning in triumph when he produced it.
    Weelar was staring. “ Is that what I think it is? ”
    “ A Carring pearl. These four fish all have them inside. ”
    Rivvin continued butchering the fish, so Emharo brought up the storage well. “ What is a Carring pearl? ”
    “ Carring was the Water Folk capitol city. If these fish have the pearls in them, they have been there. ”
    “ I don ’ t understand. What is the significance of the pearls? ”
    Weelar explained, “ The power of the city was generated from a combination of ambient radiation and