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introduced himself as the commander of the relief team.
    Kline smiled. “We can use all the help you can give. We’re grateful you’re here.”
    A man older than Kline spoke next. “Dan Preda, assistant supervisor.”
    “Pleased to meet you,” said Shirosaki. He proceeded to explain that his team would be procuring their food and oxygen from the stores that had been brought with them to resupply the space station. But he assured them that a supply vessel had left Mars soon after these orders had been handed down and would arrive before the station’s supply was exhausted.
    Preda nodded. “No worries, we always keep a reserve supply on hand.”
    A man about Shirosaki’s age came forward next. He was wearing the special security uniform. He shook Shirosaki’s hand, stone-faced. “Commander Jeff Harding. If it weren’t for these damn threats, my team would be back home on Mars by now.”
    The man standing next to Harding also held out a hand and flashed a smile. “Sub-commander Larry Miles. Nice to meet you.”
    Since the cargo had automatically been unloaded and transported to the residential district, Shirosaki ordered the team to deliver the cargo to the appropriate destinations. With his sub-commander Arino in tow, Shirosaki followed Kline and the rest of the welcome party to the meeting room.
    When they arrived, another staff member was waiting for Shirosaki.
    The figure that stood before him was in eir early thirties with spindly arms and legs and slight features. Eir silken hair, cut evenly at the chin, shone as it moved. Although difficult to guess eir ethnic origin and not exactly beautiful, ey had strangely magnetic eyes.
    “My name is Tei,” ey said. “My people don’t use family names, so please call me by my given name. Or Doctor, if you prefer. I’m in charge of medical matters on the station.”
    Shirosaki exchanged greetings with the doctor, despite wondering what a doctor was doing at a strategy meeting.
    “A female doctor,” Arino said, cracking a smile. “Nice to see I’ll be in good hands if I’m wounded.”
    A faint smile came across Tei’s pink lips. Shirosaki moved to caution Arino, sensing that the smile on the doctor’s face was one of cynicism rather than delight, but Tei spoke first. “I’m not a woman, Sub-commander Arino.”
    Arino’s cheek twitched. “My apologies.”
    “And incidentally, I’m not a man either,” Tei added. “I’m a human from the special district that you’ve come to guard. I’ve come as a representative of the special district.”
    “By a human from the special district, you mean…”
    Preda noticed Arino’s appalled look and let out a chuckle that sounded like a purr. “Forgive me, I should explain. The doctor is a Round born in the special district—a bigender. Do you understand what that means?”
    “The doctor is male and female at the same time,” Shirosaki said. “Yes, I read the report.”
    “Unlike what our society calls intersex, Rounds are absolute hermaphrodites possessing functioning genitalia of both sexes. They are a new type of human born on Jupiter-I. Dr. Tei acts as an intermediary of sorts between the special district and the rest of the station, which is why we requested the doctor’s presence here today. Since the Rounds don’t ever leave the special district, they communicate with those on the outside through an intermediary as necessary.”
    Suddenly looking indignant, Arino glared at Preda for withholding this information as if he’d been testing them. Shirosaki, wanting to avoid an altercation from the outset, used his implant communicator to send a message directly to Arino’s inner ear. “ Take it easy, Arino .”
    “We’re here risking our necks on this mission ,” Arino answered through his communicator, “ and they’re mocking us .”
    “We’re only familiar with their society from what we’ve read. And they only know us through the data they have on us. They’re just trying to feel us out.