Chameleon Sharks?

Azalyn paused before continuing. "But before we go on any further, I think we have something we should deal with first."

"Alright. So how does this allegiance thing work?" Lubic asked.

"I will swear it and you will accept it. That will bind us."

"If you say so."

Azalyn ignored his comment. "I, Azalyn Minara, Starlord of Imezza, pledge my allegiance to you, Spacelord Lubic."

Lubic hesitated. "What do I say?" he whispered. "Is there anything formal I need to recite?"

"Not really. Just try to take it seriously."

"Alright." He considered what to say for a few moments more. "I, Spacelord Lubic, accept the allegiance of Imezza’s Starlord."

They felt the familiar shiver as their allegiance was formalized into a new law. "That was actually pretty good."

"Thanks," Lubic grinned. "Now what am I doing here?"

"My people are being harassed by the Camathu of the North. They have left my people alone for over a hundred years, but now something has happened to anger them. They have moved into the treaty lands, which, in itself, is not troubling. But earlier this morning, they drew blood."

"Before you go any further, what are the treaty lands?"

"The treaty lands are the lands between the chameleon sharks and my people. They are a neutral territory where the two people can meet and trade. The treaty lands were put into place when the last war ended a century ago."

"Chameleon sharks?"

"Yes, the Camathu are chameleon fish. They are predators, built largely like a shark from your planet. But they can blend in with their surroundings. They are not overly bright, but they do have a primitive culture and a Starlord. They were at war with my people for hundreds of years. Luckily the war ended long before I was born, so I have not had to deal with it."

"Alright, so what exactly happened?"

"One of my people went missing late last night. His family told me he had gone into the treaty lands to trade with the Camathu, as he did every week. They told me he knew his way as he has traded in the same spot for years. He has always returned before sundown. So I went to investigate and found his body a little ways away from where he was supposed to be."

"And how do you know it was one of these Camathu? Are they the only predatory things on this planet?"

"They are the only ones who would dare attack my people, especially in the treaty lands. Those lands were chosen because they have little to offer either of our people in the ways of resources. And that is also the reason why they are safe - predators would most likely require the same resources as the chameleon fish."

Lubic sighed. "I guess first thing’s first. Take me to the body."

Welcome to Imezza

He couldn’t breathe. Lubic opened his eyes, thrashing wildly about. There! Way above him, he could see the spot where the sun kissed the water’s edge. It looked like quite a ways above him, but his lungs were screaming and he knew he had to try.

"Lubic, just breathe normally."

He glanced around wildly, but there was no time! He thought his lungs had been screaming before, but that was a mere whisper compared to now! He kicked his way towards air, towards life.

"LUBIC! JUST BREATHE NORMALLY!"

He hesitated, and in that instant accidentally breathed in through his nose. Instead of the nose-full of water he was expecting, he got air.

"What the...?"

"Lubic, why the heck did you bring yourself to my planet under the sea? I thought you would meet me on one of the islands, where I could explain this to you before you started panicking!" Azalyn rolled her eyes once again. "My predecessor made a rule that all visiting Starlords and Spacelords would be able to breathe beneath the seas of Imezza. It was put into effect after one of the Spacelords made it so that we could breathe the air of other worlds."

"So I won’t drown?"

"No."

Lubic took in a deeper breath this time. Sure enough, no water. "Neat. And this will remain true for the whole time I’m on your planet."

"Yes. This whole time and every other time you visit."

"So how do I move around then?"

"You can swim."