Selected Assistant

by Robin Roseau

  There was a pause, and then Prudence said, “I think I misheard you, Jasmine.”

  “Perhaps it’s her accent,” Andie said. Then, speaking exaggeratingly slowly, she said, “We want to build a village here, and we want the linguistics department to be the first people living here.”

  We all waited, and then Prudence said, “I think that perhaps I am an idiot. I had all the clues. I knew you were talking about a village, and several of my staff have stopped by. I knew you were playing your games, Jasmine.” She turned to me. “You knew.”

  “Of course.”

  She shifted her gaze. “Amaryllis?”

  “I support this plan,” said the BP ambassador. “I have spoken with a few other important people, and they agree with us.”

  Prudence looked around, finally setting her gaze on her sister. “Did you know?”

  “I would say it was obvious. You didn’t talk about it, so I thought maybe you had decided it wasn’t possible. Amaryllis, my sister and I are close.”

  “You would be equally welcome,” Amaryllis said. “And having you on Earth would be useful to me.”

  “We could live here,” Prudence said. “On Earth. We could stay on Earth.”

  “Yes,” Amaryllis said.

  “The council…”

  “Does not officially know about this discussion, but between those here, we carry several votes. Skye and Audra Beamer need only make one call to ensure another.”

  I looked at Posey, and she whispered to me, “They helped the Ardents pick the English version of their names.” I nodded understanding.

  “The Council will not fight overlong on whether we should build this village. They will fight over how big it should be, and who should first occupy it.”

  “Why us?” Prudence asked. “We’re about the least important extraterrestrials you could ask.”

  “That is unfair,” Amaryllis said. “But it is also a portion of the reason.”

  “I don’t believe in hiding from the truth,” Jasmine said. “Prudence, the only people who care where you live are you and your friends. And you’re right, an even shorter list care about the work you do, even though there is value in what you do. I have a price for my support.”

  “Ah,” Prudence said. She looked at me. “Do you also know this price?”

  “Unless she’s added to it, yes. But I stand by what I once told you.”

  “I’d like to hear it.”

  “I want help here,” Jasmine explained. “It’s long past time we gave more humans more time with us as people. Right now, I give a relatively small number of people brief opportunities, little more than photo opportunities. I want you to host events, and I want you to attend events I host.”

  Prudence looked at me yet again. “Such as dances? Just how involved in this are you?”

  “I sometimes have ideas,” I said.

  “You’re the one who told me to hold a dance, and then taught us to dance in a fashion humans don’t really use.”

  “That’s not at all true. I bet if we put up the same music, and I invite Yvette to dance, that’s how we’d dance.”

  Yvette laughed. “You taught them slow dancing.”

  “Yes,” I said. “Do you think that was wrong?”

  “Absolutely not,” Yvette said. “I’d call it pretty much perfect.”

  “Is there more, Jasmine?”

  “Details,” Jasmine said. “Humans see us as ‘the aliens’ or ‘the ETs’. Some of them don’t even know what ET stands for. But they don’t see us as individual species, in spite of the work Yvette, Foxglove, and Dry Rain have done. I want to give more people the chance to meet individuals. You have as varied a department as any, and I can’t think of a single reason you can’t work here. You can do everything you currently do, and have an active social life. You’ll be leaving behind people on the station, at least until I can get them down here, too.”

  “We could try to do this somewhere else on Earth,” Amaryllis said. “But this is the safest location we hold, and we already keep it exceedingly secure. We wouldn’t need additional security. I am not prepared to support another location. Well, I don’t particularly care where it is, within this region, but this seems quite beautiful.” She shifted her gaze. “I would like a home away from home here. The Center is quite dreary. Can that be part of your planning?”

  “Yes. We have so many details,” Jasmine said.

  “Prudence,” said Verity. “Look at your staff.” We all shifted. “Every single one wants you to say ‘yes’. You don’t have to ask the others, but we can get them here if you don’t believe me.”

  “Do they know what we’re talking about?” Prudence asked.

  “No,” Aventurine replied. “Because we didn’t. But the rest of us figured this out about when Jasmine talked to Carolina. Or, at least we hoped.”

  Prudence shifted her gaze. “What is that for?” She gestured to the display case.”

  “A model,” Jasmine said. “Actually, we can display several. We have ideas, but no one involved is an architect. There are so many details to resolve. Someone.” And she looked at me. “Suggested that we place modest homes here, and perhaps larger residences inland. People can decide which they prefer.”

  “To avoid spoiling the beauty,” Yvette said. “But giving everyone a chance.”

  “Exactly.”

  “I like it. So, what am I doing here?”

  “Someone,” Jasmine said, “And I won’t mention the human’s name, suggested we have a proper movie theater.”

  Yvette laughed. “And I have the right connections and probably an opinion?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Then I’m glad I’m here,” she said. “And not just to see my friends. First off, don’t put it in the cove here. Put it over the hill somewhere, but just make it easy to get to. How big a village?”

  “We’re not sure,” Jasmine said. “That’s one of the details. The linguistics department is small, but ultimately, I want to be able to invite everyone here.”

  “Everyone?” Prudence asked.

  “Up to fifteen thousand, but not all here. Small villages.” She sighed. “That was also someone’s idea. She said five hundred people. I think smaller, but connected.” She turned and set tentacles on her hips. “What am I doing up here? Most of this is your plan.”

  “Ideas are a dime a dozen,” I said. “I think you’re getting near the end of mine. I suggested a Hyperloop connecting roughly twenty small villages, but there are technical difficulties.”

  “Oh, I like it,” Yvette said. “And then we can show it to California and say, ‘See what you could have if you just assembled the political will’.”

  “What is a Hyperloop?” Foxglove asked.

  “An elevated, high-speed train,” I said. “Very high speed and efficient.”

  “Could we see your plans, Jasmine?” Prudence asked.

  “Of course. Let’s see how well we can cluster around.”

  It was cozy, but we managed to all see. And then Jasmine did something. An image appeared in the display case. It was the cove as it existed now. “One plan puts a very small village here.” A dozen homes morphed into view, and the train system leading north and south. “Perhaps shops or a small restaurant.”

  “A dock for sailboats,” Yvette said.

  “Yes. I do not think this is what we would do. We would need too many of these villages, and it does a poor job of providing homes for the Komodo.”

  “We are few,” said Carolina.

  “And so, you require few homes,” Jasmine replied. “But they need to be near the water, and I don’t want to break up the beach for them.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “So, we can move this small village, like this.” And the homes shifted, moving to the corner of the cove. “The end one can be yours, Carolina. I don’t know how to properly represent your needs. None of these does a good job for you, and so that is something to work out.

  “I understand,” Carolina said.r />
  “We can also position a small village alongside one of our lakes, if you believe you would prefer that.”

  “If my friends lived beside the lake, yes, but if my friends are here, then I prefer the ocean.”

  “I understand your homes are not normally underwater.”

  “We build beside the water, and partially submerged,” Carolina said. “This is not quite the right place, but I see your intention.”

  “There is one more plan for a small village.” The houses moved up the hill into the trees. “This does not accommodate Carolina, but maybe there would be a cluster here.” Four houses appeared near the corner of the cove. “Or out here.” Four houses appeared outside the cove, along the open ocean. “Carolina, I do not know which you prefer.”

  “We prefer sheltered locations,” she said. “Like most species, we tend to build around the bays of our planet.”

  She looked away, then stepped through us, looking over the water. “There,” she said, pointing. “If I were building, I would build there.”

  “The Komodo are the most difficult for me,” Jasmine said. “I have never even seen a photo of one of their homes. But we would want a proper, Komodo home for Carolina.”

  “No. A fusion of Komodo and human,” she said. “We typically do not have land entrances, but I do not think everyone will wish to swim to visit. But thank you, Jasmine. I am deeply touched.”

  “The rest of these plans have the same trouble in determining a location for the Komodo,” Jasmine said. “So, they all need work. We have two basic plans for a larger village. First, we can add more homes, most of them in the hills. These would be modest homes, perhaps small multi-family homes. It was suggested anything would be better than the station.”

  She put that on the display. But then she said, “Or we can build something resembling a human apartment building.” She removed the houses and put three small apartment buildings in place.”

  “Now, I’m going to show you two things I absolutely do not want to do.”

  In the first, she put houses on all the available area. In the second, she kept the beach clear, but it was otherwise just as bad.

  “However,” Jasmine added. “If we want five hundred here instead of a smaller number, it may need to be something like this, or it may need to extend into the forest, and many of the homes will not have direct view of the ocean.”

  She paused. “This is not my area of expertise. I would insist we hire experts.”

  “Where would you put this dance hall?” Yvette asked.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know how big it should be.”

  “The Hyperloop would connect to Beginnings and the other resorts?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think it should be there,” she said, gesturing inland. “It looks like there is a rise there. You can have much of it in the trees, but put on a balcony, and make it open to the breeze during nice weather. It offers a view of the cove without being intrusive. But don’t put the theater here. Stick it over the hill. Don’t waste a prime view.”

  “There may be good reasons to put the dance hall at Beginnings,” I pointed out.

  “True,” she said. “There’s room. I have an opinion on the dance hall, but not so much on the location. It should be convenient, but at the same time, there’s nothing wrong if it takes a little commitment.”

  “I want a little more control on guests visiting,” Jasmine said.

  “Well then,” Yvette said, inclining her head.

  “Aventurine,” said Prudence, “What do you think?”

  “Are you asking about the dance hall?”

  “Do you want to move to Earth?”

  “Of course, I do. We all do, Prudence.”

  “You have friends on the station.”

  “No. I have other Kitsune I wave at. I have better friends standing right here than anyone up on the station.”

  “I will miss other Komodo,” said Carolina. “Amaryllis, we cannot make them wait another fifteen years to descend with us.”

  “We need to start somewhere,” Amaryllis said.

  “I would like if we emptied the entire station and brought everyone here, but not any faster than we can do it right.”

  “We can’t abandon the station,” Amaryllis said. “Half would come, perhaps.”

  “Perhaps more than half, and every Komodo, but we are few. Prudence, tell her ‘yes’, or tell me I may work from Earth, or else I will accept a job offer from Jasmine.”

  “I can’t make this decision for everyone. There are friends, family.”

  “This starts somewhere,” Verity said. “Why not with us? Let those who want to stay on the station do so. We’re a pretty loose team, anyway.”

  “Jasmine,” said Carolina. “You have asked for help here for years. I never considered it, because you were not offering a home with water, not even the small water we have on the station. If you can offer me a home here, beside this great body of water, I wish to live here.”

  “Slow down,” said Prudence.

  “Oberon says ‘yes’,” Aventurine said. “Cinder and May say ‘yes’. Chervil would prefer a quiet home in the forest. Can we do that, Jasmine?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “He asks if we have to worry about humans wandering around like we’re a tourist destination.”

  “No, but we’ll need to figure how to make that work.”

  “That may be the best argument for putting the dance hall somewhere else,” Yvette pointed out. “Do you want to share the movie theater with humans?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Put it at the existing human village,” I suggested. “Or else connect the village to the Hyperloop. Or both, I suppose. But no one should come to Beginnings to see a movie.”

  “Cape and Bight asked if they could hold an annual hunt,” Aventurine added. “Either way, they lost all their English and were speaking Martian to me. I had to calm them down.”

  “I’m talking to Makiko,” Carolina said. “She wonders if we can include a dojo, and she would like a few other Japanese influences. She had to explain what a dojo is. It is an athletic facility.”

  Then my visor told me I had an incoming call from May. I accepted, and I saw both of the Hobbles. “Are you at this meeting?”

  “I have May and Cinder,” I said. “I don’t know why we didn’t just bring everyone. Yes, May. I am.”

  “Would we have to live underground?” Cinder asked.

  “No, Cinder,” I said. “It is a beautiful location beside the ocean, a little like Beginnings.” The two of them began speaking rapidly. “Okay, they lost their English. I think that’s a ‘yes’.”

  “I have Brook,” Verity said. “She and Sage beg you to say ‘yes’, Prudence.”

  “That’s everyone,” Aventurine said.

  “Yes,” Prudence said. “Jasmine. Yes.”

  * * * *

  It was an emotional moment for the aliens. I didn’t blame them. I found myself with Yvette at my side, Audra past her. The two had arms around waists, but then Yvette slipped her other arm around mine, and I set mine on her shoulder. At that, I couldn’t stop grinning. I probably looked like an idiot, but I’m not sure I cared. “Where’s my cove, Audra?” Yvette asked.

  “It’s a little further south.”

  “Is the house still there?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have land here, Yvette?” I asked.

  “No, no. They kidnapped me, but because of my awesome star power, I got a lonely house on a beach instead of those horrid cells. Have you seen the cells?”

  “Ixnay on the ails-jay,” Audra said.

  I laughed. “Yeah, briefly. They kidnapped me, but only for an evening.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “I remember your kidnapping. About five videos of it went viral. That wasn’t staged?”

  “Nope. I volunteered for the first Catseye that would treat me well, and they kidnapped me and tried to give me to a Hobble. It was actually the second
time they kidnapped me. The first time, they tried to give me to Dry Rain, but she threw me back.”

  “She did not.”

  “She did, actually,” Audra said. “She said Yvette just wasn’t attractive enough for her.”

  “I can see that,” I replied. “What with being the most beautiful woman on the planet and all that.”

  “You’re sweet,” Yvette said. “Audra, is this one playing with us later?”

  “Yes, but she doesn’t know about it yet.”

  “Oops.”

  “Oops? You did that on purpose.”

  “This is the team I want,” Yvette said. “Make it happen.”

  “Sure,” Audra said. “But did you ask her what she wants?”

  “She’s still star struck. It’ll wear off in a few hours, and then I can get to know what she’s really like when her tongue isn’t hanging out of her mouth.”

  “It is not!” I complained. “I admit to the star struck part though.”

  She and Audra giggled. “You should have seen us. Yvette and I were both fangirling all over the other one.”

  “Really?”

  “She arrived with the Catseye,” Yvette said. “I totally fangirled.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I stared at her. “How large a fool am I making of myself?”

  She turned and looked at me, and her voice turned sober. “I know what you did for Muriel. You can fangirl all you want, but understand that I don’t have a very long list of friends. I really hope I can add your name to the list.”

  “Seriously?”

  “She’s not just saying that,” Audra said. “She and Foxglove arrived last night. At midnight, when we told her about who was going to be here, she started bitching that she had to wait to meet you.”

  “I didn’t do much.”

  “I’m just a dumb actress,” Yvette said. “My job is to look pretty and remember my lines.”

  “I think it’s more than that.”

  “Whatever,” she said. “You risked your life for someone you barely know.”

  “Soldiers do it all the time. So do firemen.”

  “You risked your life for someone who matters to me,” Yvette said. “So get used to me.”

  I smiled. “I can imagine worse.”

  “Good. Who cares if we get our asses handed to us in whatever games the Catseye plan for us?”