"We have only recently enlisted at the Starfleet Academy in San Francisco of Earth," Faris tells her, although from what he understands, their status as cadets should be obvious from their attire. Or, well, Chanath's attire. "I am Faris of the K'da."

"And I am Chanath, of the Shontine," his host adds, bowing her head politely. She does not bother to hide her curiosity about the other woman, fascinated by the concept of a symbiont that is invisible to all but its host. "You take your symbiont's name as part of your own?"