Akal blinked, his expression blank aside from a tightening around his mouth. He straightened his sleeves and rested his hands once more in his lap. A betrayal of nerves. Argurma who claimed to be uncompromised emotionally still had their little tells. Even the famous rages of the Argurma warriors were an emotional outlet where few others allowed more than a trickle of something through—deny it however they like. If one knew what to look for, it was easy to process.
“No,” the male replied. “It would not serve the purpose of the registrar’s office to threaten our citizens. If you are certain that is your official standpoint, then I ask only to visually verify the health of Harahna, as is my legal duty. As to your objection to further testing, I will forward it to the reproduction department.” His eyes glinted with the barest hint of satisfaction. “You can expect contact with them within a lunar.”
Let them. Veral would be gone with his mate and offspring long before then.
Careful to not betray his thoughts, he inclined his head and turned to Larth, issuing him instruction on their private channel. His cousin stepped away and walked out of the office to retrieve the medic and Harahna.
Veral had hoped to avoid a physical examination because his daughter had traits unlike those of an Argurma, but Tarik had assured him that there was a strong probability of such features being merely dismissed as a mutation and noted as such rather than raising suspicion. He would rather not have had any such speculation of his offspring, but the medic had warned them during Harahna’s pre-departure checkup the day before, that physical verification of health was not unusual. It was considered normal in cases where a mother was kept classified.
It was for that reason alone he had prepared by having Harahna brought to the medic in case it was required.
As he waited for Larth to return, Veral stared wordlessly at the registrar, the claw of his forefinger tapping sedately on the armrest of his chair. Akal glanced over and adjusted his seat. Veral held back a grin at the sign of discomfort. He had no intention of conversing any further than necessary with the male, and if the silence made the registrar uncomfortable, then that at least was satisfactory.
“Harahna is not a name that we see often,” Akal observed. “After her mother?”
“No,” Veral replied.
“Is her mother-donator of a nearby household? We do not normally inquire of such things, but with the Reproduction Department seeking answers, cases of successful births are worth noting for households having difficulties conceiving or carrying to term.”
Veral did not reply, allowing silence to fill the space left by the question.
Akal’s eyes narrowed, his mandibles twitching, only to practically leap to his feet when the door slid open again, admitting Larth. The medic trailed in behind the warrior with Harahna wrapped in a sheer blanket in his arms. Akal made a move in their direction but was stayed by Larth’s ominous growl, forcing the registrar to sink back into his seat.
Tarik’s expression remained cool as he carried Harahna over to Akal. Although he gave the impression of being an unassuming, obedient male programmed to his service, there was no mistaking the warrior who dwelled below the surface. It could be seen in the way his eyes pinned the male as he drew near with Veral’s daughter.
“Do not touch. She is still very young,” the medic warned as he pulled back the light blanket concealing her.
The warning should have been unnecessary. Argurma culture did not approve of anyone outside of their line touching their offspring. That very fact had caused issues with offworlders before in the marketplace, even when Veral was in his training. He was glad that the medic thought to remind the male because Akal’s hands dropped to his side at the reprimand as he leaned forward.
The male’s eyes scanned her, verifying her biometrics. Upon completion, his lip curled as he pulled out his datapad before reluctantly leaning in close once more.
“Overall biometric stats are perfect. Size is small for an Argurma, but the offspring is in good health despite being malformed and mutated. Female’s head is narrow and misshapen, and she is lacking both the nasal ridge plate and chin plating. Female offspring is also nearly scaleless and possesses a sickly coloration,” he observed aloud as his datapad processed his notations.
Veral’s claws dug into his chair, fury making his vibrissae rise around him. He just barely kept them from whipping menacingly and held back the snarl that rose into his throat even though he choked on it.
If the registrar did not conclude soon, it would be his death sentence.
As if answering some unspoken wish, Akal hissed as his head whipped back, narrowly avoiding the tiny, clawed hand that raked unhappily at his face. Veral’s lips twisted in a proud smile. That was another reason that strangers were not permitted to touch their young. Argurma young developed faster than most species, especially with their long incubation in the womb, which made them potentially dangerous to those who got too near and frightened them.
Although Harahna did not seem frightened, her eyes tracked him, her tiny nostrils flared, and her small mouth pinched, her distaste for the strange male hovering so near her clear. Her hastened gestation had not affected her development as far Tarik had been able to tell, and was evident in her reaction.
The registrar’s vibrissae twitched in displeasure. Wisely, he reined in any other sign of irritation as he leaned down at a modified distance. “Eyes are clear, and nanos are numerous and healthy,” the registrar continued, oblivious to Veral’s rising temper. “That is unexpected, given her severe mutations. How are her internal organs, medic?”
“Fully formed and healthy as any Argurma offspring,” Tarik replied with a subtle sneer.
It was gratifying for Veral that the medic took a protective attitude when it came to his daughter. While everyone of the line would protect her out of loyalty to the household and line, that sort of protectiveness was usually reserved only for the closest of kin. He had never even seen Gargath act any less than professional with any of their line. Veral’s estimation of the medic rose. At the medic’s side, Larth was hovering nearer, his vibrissae puffed out with unspoken menace. One wrong move from Akal, and it would be the last one he made by the time they got through with him.
“Noted,” the registrar said as he straightened and put his datapad away. Lifting his comm, he spoke into it. “I am finished here. Be prepared to leave this place.” The voice at the other end confirmed, and Akal dropped his arm to his side and inclined his head politely. “That is all that I require.”
Veral’s lips lifted slightly in an appropriate smile of acknowledgment, one he did not feel but that was expected for sake of propriety. Smiles were seldom about emotion, but the sort of smile dictated by appropriate social interactions and cues, and occasional humor—one thing that the council had never been able to irradicate despite its annoyance to those in command.
That was something Terri still struggled with. She gifted her smiles freely and with genuine emotion. With the exception of her sardonic expressions, her smiles related joy and pleasure, and he greedily wanted to keep every one of them to himself. He even found himself responding with smiles to things that he truly found pleasing. In this case, however, he offered nothing but the slightest diplomatic quirk of his lips that said nothing of the seething turmoil within him.
He would have liked to show just how close to death he stood and awakened the latent fear lurking within the male that he could see the faintest shadow of—but it was better if he did not. He did not wish to give the registrar reason to alert the council of possible dissent coming from the Monushava House.
“Larth, escort Registrar Akal’sivkoran’tanil to his waiting flyer and sendherin.”
His cousin smirked as he immediately herded the registrar toward the door.