Happiness in Numbers

by Nicole Field

  "What do you think they should do?" Jacob asked after a moment of hesitation.

  "I think we should be more understanding and we need to make more concessions to the Juek." If Malcolm was thrown by Jacob's sudden interest in his personal thoughts, he didn't show it. "Unfortunately, my associates don't agree. They are adamant they get everything on their list of demands."

  "I thought this war was over the Iodaluriam. What else could they want?"

  "The Cardinal Space Federation want to create more bases on the planet. This planet sits at the center of this system, allowing for easy transit. The Federation wants to be able to divert shipments, manpower, weapons, everything through here. The Juek believe that would be detrimental to the planet." Malcolm paused to take a sip of coffee. "They know what happened to Earth, how we destroyed that planet. They don't want the same thing to happen here."

  Jacob had to agree. "What about the bases that are already here? Those weren't built with their permission."

  "They've agreed to allow us to keep the bases, as there are only three. We could use them to store and ship the Iodaluriam they have offered to let us mine. Which is really all we need. The other demands are just from greed."

  "Why don't they listen to you?" Another thing Jacob wasn't sure about: what exactly his father was doing here. He knew he was a general of the Federation. He was in charge of a fleet of ships. What purpose did he serve now?

  "Because I'm technically not part of the team," Malcolm said. At Jacob's confused look, he continued. "I'm there to represent our military, while the others actually represent the Federation. As C.S.F. runs everything, I'm basically there for looks."

  "That's stupid. It's your men on the line."

  "I know."

  Silence followed, Jacob thinking about the war and what it meant for everyone. Not just his dad, but for Yaro and Thaxl, and all the other Juek. He had always been against war, especially as it was a corporation who ran everything and was interested in what could be gained. Having met Thaxl and Yaro made him dislike it even more.

  *~*~*

  When Yaro and Thaxl said they wouldn't be unavailable at all the next day, Jacob was a little saddened. He had never been kissed by two people one right after the other, but he knew he definitely wanted more. These were already two of the best friendships he'd ever made, and he just wanted more.

  Out of fear of boredom, Jacob did something he hadn't done before, hadn't even thought to do before. He asked his father if he could tag along to a meeting. He didn't even know if it would work, if outsiders were allowed to listen in. But Malcolm readily agreed, stating he needed to dress up a little more than he usually did, as the Juek king and consort were attending this meeting. Apparently they had not shown up to any of the prior meetings, leaving those to their trusted advisors. As the meetings weren't going anywhere, they must have felt it was time to step in.

  Changing into a suit, brushing his teeth and hair, Jacob followed Malcolm out of the room and down the hall. At the end was a stairwell, which they climbed to the second floor. He had never been up here, given that little of interest was up here except that it was where residents lived. An empty apartment had been used as the conference area, allowing for bathrooms breaks and food to be prepared, since the meetings ran so long.

  Malcolm turned toward Jacob, adjusting his tie. He gave Jacob a small smile, then turned toward the door they had stopped at, knocking briefly before opening the door. Only one member of their group was there. Cramley, if Jacob remembered right. He was the least annoying one that Jacob had dealt with on the ship, though that wasn't saying much. All he could talk about was the money his company made and how he would benefit from these negotiations. It was actually surprising he had talked so openly about it, given it could be construed as him having an agenda. But Jacob guessed that's how it worked for the rich.

  Jacob was steered toward a chair that was in the corner of the room, out of the way and out of sight of the door. He didn't mind, since he was just there as an observer.

  The door opened once again, allowing the rest of their party to enter. Before the door shut behind the last one, more people came in. Jacob noticed the blue-green skin right away: the Juek had arrived. He couldn't see faces, but it would appear they all had the same black hair and wore the same type of clothes: a tunic-like shirt over pants. They were also barefoot.

  Yaro and Thaxl were amongst the group, and it was at that moment Jacob realized he would be seeing them today anyway. When he had asked to tag along, the possibility of seeing them hadn't even crossed his mind. They caught a glimpse of him as their party were seating themselves, pausing in surprise at seeing him there. When he cast them a smile, they glanced sideways at each other. A frown tugged at his lips, the looks on their faces were worrisome. They looked anxious, almost afraid.

  When they looked back at him, he mouthed, ‘Are you okay?' but their attention was stolen by Cramley, who had stood up once everyone was seated.

  "Let's get this meeting started, shall we?"

  One of the Juek stepped forward from against the wall. "Allow me to introduce King Thaxl of the Juek and his consort, Yaro."

  Jacob sat frozen, shocked by what he heard. They were the king and consort of the Juek? The two Juek who had kissed him were the king and consort of the Juek?

  He didn't know what to think. He wanted to get out of there, but if he moved he would draw everyone's attention.

  The meeting went on, regardless of Jacob's inner turmoil. He didn't really hear the words that were said. He didn't look at anyone at the table. At one point, Malcolm stepped over to get a drink. When he saw the look on Jacob's face, he asked if everything was alright. Jacob just nodded.

  "If you need to leave, you can. We're taking a break anyways."

  Jacob jumped up and walked as fast out of the room as he could.

  *~*~*

  That evening, Jacob was sitting out on a deck he had found away from everything else. After going back to his room and changing his clothes, he had grabbed a quick meal from a restaurant and ate it there. The view was beautiful, the suns were setting, causing the sky to turn a bright pink-orange color. It was peaceful.

  He didn't know how long he had been sitting and enjoying the air when he heard a noise behind him. Jacob glanced back. Thaxl and Yaro stood there, both looking unsure.

  Sighing to himself, Jacob turned around in his seat until he was facing them. He waved them over. He wasn't feeling mad so much as shocked. No one as important as the two of them had ever wanted anything to do with him.

  Coming to stand before him, Thaxl spoke first.

  "We're sorry we didn't tell you. After we met you and started to develop feelings for you, we wanted you to get to know us as who we are… not what we are."

  "That could have been very dangerous," Jacob said, suddenly angry Yaro would put themselves at risk like that.

  "I had guards."

  Jacob thought back to all the times he had spent with them. "I never saw anyone."

  Thaxl grinned. "That means they're doing their job."

  "Is that why we didn't go to the shops when I visited Osisa?" Jacob asked. He didn't want to ask this next question, but he needed to know. "Is it because you were embarrassed to be seen with me? I'm not anyone, just a human who was dragged to this planet."

  "No, of course not," Yaro said. They sat down beside Jacob and wrapped their arm across his shoulders. "We would never be embarrassed to be seen with you. Human or not, royalty or not, it does not matter. Not to us."

  Another wrapped around his waist. Jacob gave in to the comfort, resting his head on Yaro's shoulder.

  "Then what do you want? How do I fit into all of this?"

  "We just want to be with you." Thaxl used their other hand to rest it on Yaro's thigh. "As king, I am allowed a consort, no matter their gender. Polygamy is accepted here. While it isn't common, it does happen. And when it does, it is cherished. For someone to have so much love for more than one person, it is a wonderful thing."r />
  "You saw how we cherish beauty. We cherish all things that bring joy to our lives," Yaro said, resting their hand on top of Thaxl's where it laid on Jacob's thigh. "When I told Thaxl about you, he was excited to meet you from the first day. And I could not wait to see you again."

  The words went straight to Jacob's heart, warming his body. He had never felt so wanted, and he looked forward to feeling it all the time.

  "Forgive us?" Yaro said, leaning their head against Jacob's.

  "There's nothing to forgive," Jacob said. "I get it."

  "So you will be with us? Be our love?"

  "How can I say no after all that?" Jacob said with a smile.

  The two of them each returned his smile, then spent the rest of the evenings enjoying the view and the company.

  Four

  Negotiations were still on-going. The Jueks had been there to talk to the humans for a week and, from what Malcolm said, they were getting nowhere. Which was fine with Jacob for now. He had no wish to return to Unides, now having committed to pursuing a relationship of sorts with the king and consort.

  When they weren't in the meetings, Thaxl and Yaro joined Jacob, content to just be in his company, whatever he was doing.

  The base didn't allow for many choices, but Jacob found he really enjoyed the deck he'd found the other day. He would take his food, his data pad and just sit out there for hours. His friends around base would visit him there, bringing food, books and more stories.

  A break in negotiations had seen all of the Juek going back under water for the day, needing to take care of matters there. Even though he hadn't known them very long, Jacob already felt that loss and couldn't wait for them to come back, or allow him to go back with them.

  Malcolm had gone down with them as a show of goodwill. That had been the main reason Jacob hadn't joined Yaro and Thaxl on this occasion to the under. Jacob knew his father was interested in learning more about their culture and hoped to bring back information that would help the ambassadors see things differently.

  Today brought the first rains they had experienced since their arrival, making it impossible for him to go to his favorite spot as the deck wasn't covered and the last thing he wanted was to soak his data pad. Instead he decided to stay in the room and enjoy the alone time. He spent the morning reading the news, having his laundry sent down to be washed. In the early afternoon, after lunch, he took a short nap on the couch. A knock woke him up, and he grumbled at being disturbed.

  Dragging himself from the couch, Jacob went over the door and peeked out the peephole. It was Cramley. He really did not want to open the door, but maybe it was important.

  Cramley gave him a greasy smile. "May I come in?"

  "Malcolm isn't here," Jacob said, hoping that would be enough to make him go away.

  "I know. I wanted to speak with you."

  Jacob thought about just slamming the door in his face, but he didn't want his father coming down on him for being rude.

  "Sure, I guess that's fine." He stepped back enough to let Cramley in.

  He shut the door once it was cleared, turning around to find his unwanted visitor was right behind him, within inches.

  Again with that smile.

  "How have you been? Enjoying yourself?" Cramley asked, posture straight, an air of superiority about him. "I bet this is refined compared to where you come from."

  "It's been fine," Jacob said, not acknowledging that last comment.

  "Oh yeah? That's good, that's good." Cramley rocked back on his feet, looking like he was thinking. "Made any friends?"

  That made Jacob suspicious. Why would he care what Jacob was doing?

  Cramley didn't wait for an answer. "I saw you out on that deck. With them. I also heard they took you down to their city."

  "So?"

  "So it's interesting how you gained the interest of the most powerful people on this planet." Now Cramley moved even further into Jacob's personal space. "What's it like kissing them? We've got a bet going just how fish-like they are."

  Jacob jerked and stepped to the side until he was no longer trapped between Cramley and the door. "It's none of your business what I do or who with."

  "That's where you're wrong. It is most definitely my business," Cramley snarled, no longer pretending to be nice. He stalked after Jacob, grabbing him and shoving him against the wall before he could get away. His arm came up against Jacob's throat. "We are trying to do right by the Confederation. If we can get these fish-men to just give in, we could fuel all of our ships for decades. We could go further, last longer."

  All Jacob did was glare. He was in a precarious situation. Even though the insult to Yaro and Thaxl registered with him, he couldn't show it. Not here, not now. It was a generic insult, 'fish-men', not directed at gender, but the inherent insensitivity towards Juek identities made the insult seem worse somehow.

  "Now, why don't you tell me what it is you three talk about," Cramley purred, pressing his body against Jacob's.

  "Nothing."

  "Nothing, huh?" He snorted. "What, do you guys not talk? Do you just suck their dicks to pass the time? Do they even have dicks?"

  Jacob wanted no part of this conversation. He put all of his strength into shoving Cramley away. "I said, nothing. Now get out!" He pointed toward the door.

  Cramley straightened his own clothes then, with one last sneer, walked out.

  For the rest of the day, Jacob kept the door locked, unwilling to answer it for anyone.

  *~*~*

  When Malcolm came back the next morning and asked how his day had gone, Jacob shrugged and made noncommittal noises. He wasn't sure if he should mention what happened. He could, grudgingly, admit that his father was turning out to be not as bad as he originally thought.

  Jacob decided to wait, to get some proof of Cramley's behavior before he mentioned anything. He wanted to make sure nobody could deny it, call him crazy or say that he was lying. After Cramley's visit, he felt like he couldn't trust anything. Obviously the man had an agenda and he made it clear that his intentions were only for the greed of the C.S.F.

  Grabbing his data pad, Jacob went down to the shops to see if he could find any small cameras and microphones for sale. If they didn't have any, he would be surprised. It seemed anything was bought and sold on the base.

  After checking a few different stores and making some inquiries, he was directed to an individual who sold the little cameras that could be hidden in clothing as an unofficial part of their business. It was kept quiet, and thankfully Jacob had been friendly enough to gain their trust. And he got a discount, so he bought one camera and one microphone. He decided he would wear both in his clothing and keep them running at all times.

  Slipping into the bathroom to set up his new purchases, he had barely turned them on before he was no longer alone in the bathroom. The men didn't seem to realize they weren't alone.

  "Did you hear?"

  "About the Juek?" another voice asked.

  "The fish-men," the first corrected. "They're not like us."

  There was that insult again. Jacob's lip curled.

  "Right, sorry. Fish-men." A cough.

  "Yeah. They're saying if they don't come to a compromise, the Federation will be taking things into their own hands."

  It seems as if he was already putting his new gadgets to use. Jacob stayed as still as possible, willing them to say more.

  "What will they do?"

  "I heard they'll capture every single one of those fish-men, lock them up and throw away the key. Take everything on this planet of worth."

  "Will they make more bases?" the second voice asked.

  "Probably. If we have to take everything by force, we need somewhere to store it."

  There was some flushing sounds, then they were leaving the bathroom.

  Jacob tried imagining the things the C.S.F. had planned for this planet and all those people underneath the waters. He imagined the cities, with their beautiful architecture destroyed, the old buildings u
sed as scrap for the building of the bases. He imagined the Juek citizens in chains or killed. Then he imagined Thaxl and Yaro dead, because that's what was done with the ruling figures of an enemy.

  He couldn't let that happen.

  Jacob waited a few more minute before exiting, heading back to his room to start downloading the files he'd just recorded.

  Five

  After the incident with Cramley, Jacob spent more time out in the public spaces of the base. Not only to make sure he would never be alone again with Cramley again, but also to see what kind of information he could pick up. He was getting the hang of sneaking around, listening in on conversations.

  Something big was going on. The soldiers all hinted at it, but never outright said what the brass was planning.

  Jacob tried hinting at it around Malcolm, but his father didn't seem to know anything. No one here was loyal to Malcolm; he was an outsider, even if he did outrank them all.

  Everything Jacob recorded was downloaded to his data pad. In case something happened to him, he left a note in an obvious—but not too obvious—place, as a bookmark in his most recent book telling whoever found it to check his data pad. He just hoped it was someone on his side, if it came to that.

  When he wasn't playing spy, Thaxl and Yaro started taking him on more trips to Osisa. They bought him presents, despite his protests. It was never anything too expensive or outrageous; little things like flowers, figurines of the people and the planet's creatures, artwork depicting the scenery. Mementos that would help him remember his time here fondly.

  As he didn't know what was going on in negotiations, Jacob was hesitant to say anything. What if the C.S.F. got what they wanted and changed their minds? If he told Thaxl or Yaro about what he knew, he could ruin any peace they would have between their people. Therefore, he decided to let it play out. He tried to keep his thoughts and feelings off his face, giving them his full attention when he was in their presence.

  He got envious looks, wherever they went. The Juek knew who their king and consort were. No one voiced anything negative about Jacob being with them, but he knew what they were saying with their eyes. He ignored it as best as he could, trying not to be intimidated. Now he understood why else Thaxl and Yaro had kept him from the bigger crowds in Osisa—they were protecting him.