Haven 4 AVOW - Sandra R Neeley Page 0,42

let go of.

“Hello! I’m Synclare,” she said, trying to welcome the girl.

The girl didn’t answer, nor did she even acknowledge being spoken to.

“She’s the young ones’ caregiver, their nanny. She can be housed wherever they are,” Ph‘eel said as though the female was of no importance at all.

“That’s not a problem,” Synclare said. “But, I’ll need to have her cleared with security.”

“That was done before we boarded the transport. Do they not keep you apprised of your anticipated visitors?” Mee‘ta asked, sounding slightly amused.

“I suppose not,” Synclare answered. Deciding not to respond with a snippy remark, Synclare instead focused on the children . “Your children are beautiful, Ph‘eel,” Synclare said, glancing back at the children again.

“Thank you. Though they have their father’s features, I’m afraid. They do not look a bit like me,” Ph‘eel answered.

“They are beautiful, nonetheless,” Synclare answered, not quite sure what the deal was with this obviously spoiled female. Then she decided to see if she could score some points. They were going to be here for a while and it would be very miserable if they weren’t able to forge some type of friendship. It was doubly important as she was obviously Lo’San’s sister-in-law. “If they shared in your features as well, they’d surely be too beautiful to look upon!” Synclare said animatedly.

“I do agree!” Ph‘eel said, bringing up a delicate hand to lay against her throat, obviously very flattered that Synclare had pointed out her beauty. “Though Ko’San has only been able to give me sons, I do have a daughter at home, from another of my husbands. She looks much like me,” Ph‘eel said, glancing about the corridor as Synclare escorted them to the quarters they’d be sharing during their stay. “She is my favorite. I have no doubt she at least will provide us with a profitable mating.”

Synclare glanced back at Ko’San when Ph‘eel had made what Synclare took as a dig at his ability to give her only sons, and was not surprised to see resentment on his face as he glared at Ph‘eel from behind.

Keeping her thoughts to herself, she rounded a curve in the corridor and indicated the lift to her left. “This lift will take us up a level. The visitors quarters are there. I’ve arranged a large set of rooms for you all to stay together, but if you’d prefer two sets of rooms, I can make the change with no problem at all,” Synclare explained.

“We’ll need three sets of rooms,” Ph‘eel said quickly.

“Three?” Synclare asked, confused.

“The young ones will be roomed with their nanny,” Ph‘eel stated coldly. “I need my rest and with young ones near, no one gets rest.”

Synclare raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. “Alright. I can take care of that,” she said, slowly. As they exited the lift, Synclare escorted them halfway down the corridor before pausing outside a non-descript door. “These are the original rooms I had assigned to you. There are two bedrooms here, and a living area.”

“We’ll take these,” Mee‘ta said. “There is a room for each of us.”

Synclare was surprised. Why would a husband and a wife want separate rooms… but, she gave no indication. “If you’ll just step over here and allow the scanner to print your hand,” Synclare said.

Mee‘ta did as she asked, and the scanner logged in her print. “I want to be sure that no one other than my Lau'San and myself have access to these rooms,” Mee'ta said.

“I can arrange that,” Synclare said.

“Scan complete,” the scanner advised.

“Missy?” Synclare asked, raising her voice.

“Yes, Synclare,” the ship’s computer answered.

“Please ensure that no one other than Mee'ta and her mate can access these rooms. And could you please assign two more sets of rooms, as close to the one I requested for General Lo’San’s family as possible?” Synclare asked.

“One moment, Synclare,” Missy answered.

Synclare smiled at her mother-in-law and the rest of Lo'San’s family as she waited for additional quarters to be assigned, and they watched her completing the arrangements they required. “If you need anything at all, the commissary, or medical, or if you simply wish to take a brief tour of the ship, you need only follow the signs on the walls, or so I’m told, I can’t read them,” Synclare said.

“You are illiterate?” Mee’ta asked, shock in her voice.

“Oh, no! It’s just that none of the signs are in my language. I am very well educated in my own language.”

“I suspect you are human,” Mee’ta said, “from Earth, yes?”

“Yes. I am,” Synclare said.

“I have changed the