by Robin Roseau
"Just so. We are called Octals."
"Because you have four fingers per hand, for a total of eight?"
"No. It is because of our mating practices. Where humans most typically form partnerships of two, and the Temier form partnerships of two with a third for procreation, we form partnerships of eight."
"You are of eight genders?"
"No. Like humans we have two genders. Like the Temier, our females divide into two as well, but the distinction is not as great as the Temier. As a single Octal joins with other Octals, a leader emerges, always from amongst the females, and she acquires a distinctive appearance. The others accept her dominance. The humans refer to her as Queen, but she is Queen only over seven others, never more." She offered a gesture with her hands, although I had no idea what it meant. "Our partnership is only six, so my features have not fully resolved."
"Is your Octal new?" I asked. "Why are you six? Is that a rude question?"
"It was not meant in rudeness, and so it is not rude. I do not choose to fill my Octal, preferring to leave room."
"For the right people?"
She offered the gesture from earlier. "To allow for variety of experiences." She looked me up and down pointedly, then repeated the look with Bronze. "Now may I ask my questions? We have only a minute longer."
"Of course. I'll try to answer."
But instead of asking me, she looked at Bronze. "She becomes your Child Bearer."
"Yes."
Again, Wild Rose repeated her hand gesture and turned back to me. "Then you are the one to make these decisions. Perhaps once you are more settled, you will allow us to share a meal. We have so much to discuss."
"I think I would like that," I replied. "But Bronze has indicated she will keep me exceedingly close to her."
"Bronze?"
I gestured with my head. "You may know her as Moirai."
"Ah. Yes. Of course. And yes, of course she will keep you close. But when finally she releases you to sample the station more widely, perhaps you will contact me. I am easily found, if you remember my name. I have time for one last question, and then our train arrives. Are you shocked by the species you have met?"
"No. I have been fascinated."
"Excellent, excellent. I have greatly enjoyed our meeting." She brushed her face against mine, this time only twice on a side. Bronze did not receive a similar brush, nor did the male offer one.
"Wild Rose," I called to her as the train pulled into the station. "You said this greeting was tempered for a human."
"Yes. There was no exchange of fluids." And then she hurried for the train.
Bronze tightened her hold on my shoulders. "These people are in a hurry to begin their day, and we are in no rush. We will take the next train. It is only a few minutes."
And so I waved to Wild Rose and her companion as the train -- which didn't appear all that full -- pulled away. I waited until it was well away before I began laughing.
"Why do you laugh?" Bronze asked.
I turned to her. "Because we were totally invited into an eight-way, and it's not even your decision, either." I laughed again. "And you're totally jealous besides." I laughed again then sobered. "Is that going to happen a lot?"
"Yes."
I sobered. "Really?"
"Yes. There is no obligation."
"No obligation, hmm. And if I tell you I'm curious..."
"Then I will first ensure you have an idea what you would be getting into. But this is a conversation for a year from now, as we must be thoroughly mated first."
"Of course," I said. "Thoroughly mated. And then we can take any eight-way that comes our way?"
She stepped closer. "Any you can stomach."
I stepped closer. "What about your stomach."
"Don't you worry about my stomach. You haven't even heard how the Octal exchange fluids. You may not be interested in becoming the center of an eight-way after that."
"I'm pretty sure it's their queen that would be the center of the eight way."
"You know little of the Octal. We would be the center of her attention, with five around her to help her." She shrugged. "You may enjoy it, although there is the male."
"Just one?"
"Just one."
"Lucky him."
"No. The entire octal serves the queen, and he becomes 'lucky' as you say only when she wishes the octal to produce young."
I stepped closer, looking up into her eyes. "Was she suggesting a permanent arrangement?"
"The Octal do things in powers of two. She was offering a night. If there were a second invitation, it would be for two nights. I do not know at what point it becomes an offer for permanency, but I cannot imagine she would make such an offer to any but two other octal."
I smiled up at her. "I'm a little surprised you're even allowing this conversation, but I'm pretty sure I don't need to worry about any of this."
"Why would you say that?"
"I can't imagine you ever agreeing."
"I have told you. And she told you. These things are your decision, once we are fully mated. But I believe I will keep you more than satisfied, and you will never have time to consider other offers."
I laughed. "I think you're teasing me."
"You are the one who is teasing."
"Oh, you want me to accept these offers but do not believe I will."
She sighed. "Our train comes."
She held my arm as we boarded, taking the front of the train. Soon we were moving, but we stood apart.
"Bronze?"
"Sapphire."
"Are you upset with me?"
"No."
"Then why am I lacking affection?"
Then I watched as she fought with some inner demon. But then she turned towards me and smiled.
"You feel you are lacking affection?"
"You aren't even touching me. Have you noticed? I enjoy your touch."
"Do you?"
I frowned. "Are you really going to make me beg?" I turned away. "I'm not going to beg, Bronze."
She moved close against my side. "No. I was teasing." I leaned against her.
"Is it unexpected to offer this affection? You've been very open in the past. Would people stare?"
"There is no expectation. Yes, people will stare. Humans are still rare on this station, and few know who I am in this body. They stare because they wonder. Why do humans care if people stare? Humans stare all the time."
"I don't know. That kind of attention makes us uncomfortable. Our species comes with competing expectations. We are expected to blend into the crowd, but we are expected to be exceptional at the same time. It can be quite difficult to achieve a balance."
"Do you care if they stare?"
"Do we make them uncomfortable?"
"No. Those who know who I am will be pleased you allow affection."
"I'm not allowing affection." I looked over to her. "I'm inviting affection. Please don't make me ask again."
She wrapped her arms around me, and when I tilted my head, she nuzzled.
"That's nice," I whispered. "Thank you. Are all of these houses?"
"No. There are houses, then businesses, then more houses. The businesses have windows."
"I haven't seen any windows facing this way."
"You've been too busy looking at the trees."
"I have not."
"Or perhaps the businesses are primarily on the first floor."
"All right. I was looking at the trees there. Did we pass businesses?"
"Yes. Several."
"The train only travels in this direction. What if you need to go the other way?"
"The other wheel has an opposite train, but you then must decide what is most efficient. You can take the slidewalk. You can take this train in a circle. Or you can travel through the spokes to the other wheel, then a train, then through the spoke again."
"Is the other wheel identical to this one?"
"It is identical construction, and it looks very similar, but it is w
here we have our offices, medical centers, and other such businesses."
"Is there a garden in that wheel?"
"No. The space is used somewhat more efficiently if with far less aesthetic pleasure."
We traveled from section to section, stopping once in each section. The variety of plants was nearly beyond belief. And then we came to a section that was jungle, and I turned to her. "Is this our stop?"
She caressed my cheek. "Would you like to get off?"
"This is the Temier section, isn't it?"
"It is."
"Is it hard for you to come here now? You gave up much."
"No, it is not hard."
"Then show me."
We left the train and descended to the jungle below. And it was surely jungle, at least as much as our first challenge had been, back in Africa. The plants were quite different, but she assured me that none of the dangerous plants were here.
There was a path, but it was narrow, and even from the path, the plants were so thick, there was little to be seen.
"I like it here," I told her. "We could have lived here."
"Perhaps, but I believe our new home is better for both of us."
The train stops were in the center of the sections, and so we began our walk from the center of the Temier jungle, walking all the way to the border separating the Temier section from that of the next species. At the edge, I turned to her.
"It's beautiful."
"It is," she agreed.
"Now what will you show me?"
"Lunch, perhaps. We can walk, but it is nearly four kilometers. Or we can ascend to the slidewalk or the monorail."
"It is your choice," I said.
"I enjoy walking some of the sections," she declared. "But I do not care for the next two."
I looked ahead. I wasn't sure what she saw that she didn't like, but I nodded. "All right."
And so we climbed back to the slidewalk, but once there, I pulled her around me, and we let the slidewalk do the work for us as we leaned against the railing, watching the world go past.
"I thought you liked to see how fast you can walk."
"Right now I like to see how warm are your arms."
"You are cold?"
"No." I turned in her arms and looked up into her eyes. "But it is possible I may be falling in love."
"Oh," she said. She began to smile. "Oh."
"Don't let it go to your head. I've been in love before."
"Of course."
I turned away. "What will we do after lunch?"
"I will take you to my office."
"Will I meet anyone?"
"Some."
"I thought you were going to keep me isolated for five months."
"I was. I find myself wanting to show you off."
I laughed.
"And I talked to Jasmine."
"Oh?"
"She reminded me humans have social needs. She reminded me I have taken responsibility for your needs."
"Ah."
"So I will only partially isolate you for the next five months."
I laughed. "All right. You're barely touching me."
"I have you pulled tightly against me with my arms wrapped around you. That is far more than barely."
"You haven't copped a feel all day."
"You wish me to cop a feel, as you say, right here?"
"No." I thought about it. "Maybe. I have gotten used to pushing you off, and now I'm flustered."
She laughed. "Your moods are fickle."
"True, but that's your fault. How much further?"
"Three and a half kilometers, or so."
"You don't like using miles, do you?"
"No. At least kilometers make sense."
"I suppose you use a different unit."
"One for every species. It doesn't help that different species also use different numbering systems. Human use 10. Octals use 8, of course. 8 and 16 are common. There are some species who use systems similar to your Roman numerals. It can be quite confusing."
"I imagine. I suppose if I'm hungry, I should walk for my lunch."
* * * *
In many ways, the restaurant was like a restaurant anywhere, if one discounted the varied clientele. One would have no question what it was upon entering.
But there were differences from an Earth restaurant, as one might expect. The most basic difference: there was no wait staff. There wasn't even a hostess, although Bronze assured me that wasn't true at all restaurants. Instead we stepped in, and Bronze communicated with the restaurant's computers via her eyes. We were assigned a table, and then we were able to order our choices the same way. Everything was delivered by automation.
The menu was accessed via visor. Bronze had to help me, but there was a human menu. "You cannot assume any particular restaurant will have food suitable for any particular race, and it can be dangerous to order from another menu."
"I might get space mush?"
"You might get poison."
"That might be bad."
"It's probably worse than knifing your arm, yes. And so I have a new rule I didn't consider last night. You will only order from a human menu. And you will not sample any foods that were prepared for another species."
"Even if they ordered from the human menu?"
"The restaurant knows their race and may apply additives they wouldn't add for a human. Food for you is only safe if it is known to be for human consumption, and a restaurant with no human menu that offers to alter a choice for you is still not safe."
"Got it."
"The same goes for anything else you ingest."
"Got it. What happens when people entertain?"
"The easiest solution is to not serve food. If you invite only your own species, of course you have the same choices you have on Earth. If you are hosting a mix of species and wish to serve food, then it is common to have your event catered. In that case, it is also common in the invitations to state who will do the catering. When receiving an invitation, it is more important than on Earth to indicate whether you will attend. You may be the only representative of a particular species, and you wouldn't want your host to provide for your specific needs when you aren't even attending or be forced to see to your needs at the last minute."
In the end, we had a lovely meal, and at the same time I received an introduction to the varied dining habits of the aliens on the station. It didn't take long before I decided my best choice was to focus strictly on my own table and do far less people watching.
Bronze laughed when I admitted that.
"You'll grow accustomed."
* * * *
To reach Moirai's offices, we first again rode the monorail, traveling much of the way around the station. We then took another slidewalk, this one moving through a tube connecting the two rings. There was another slidewalk on the other ring, and we traveled a modest distance that way before coming to a stop.
There was nothing about the door that suggested the space behind was as important as it was, or even it was as big as it was.
Once inside, however, there was a receptionist. I didn't recognize the species, and I couldn't tell if it was male or female. But from the brief exchange, I thought perhaps it knew Moirai. We stepped past without pausing to introduce me.
I received what I thought was a complete tour. We didn't begin with Moirai's office. Instead, she showed me some of the research facilities. Here and there, people approached her, attempting to draw her into discussion, but Moirai seemed to dismiss them quickly.
"You're popular."
"Everyone wishes to impress me with his work, and they wish an introduction to you."
"And not once have you provided one."
"These are not friends or even colleagues. They are underlings. Some of them are important underlings, but they are not the sort with whom I socialize."
"So you're not going to introduce me to anyone?"
"Not true. I am going to introduce you to Dr. Fitza." We turned to another door, passed throu
gh it, and came to a stop.
I was expecting another laboratory of some sort, and that's undoubtedly what it was at one point. It still had that feel.
But instead of the normal signs of a research laboratory, what we found was a room filled with three things. First were the planets. There were plants, plants, and more plants, filling what at first seemed like every bit of space from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. There were tall plants growing from pots on the floor. There were tall plants growing upside down from planters near the ceiling. There were flowing plants and creeping vines. Along one shelf, I saw a row of Japanese bonsai trees, each different. On the opposite wall, organized in the exact same fashion and appearing to be trimmed in the same fashion I saw another row of pots, but these plants were not of Earth.
They were moving.
The second class of objects was computer screens. There were dozens, all facing to be most readily viewed from a single location. And while the plants seemed to fill the space, not a single screen was obscured by so much as a leaf or vine.
The aliens didn't typically use computer screens, or so I thought. Oh, from time to time, they used tablets, but always for very specific purposes. But interaction with their computers seemed to be via visors or replacement eyes. So the screens were a surprise.
And the final object: it was small, half my height, if that, and covered with scales. It was staring at the screens, the eyes moving rapidly from screen to screen. From time to time, a long, very slender tongue snaked out, waved in the air for an instant, and withdrew.
And then the being's gaze shifted from the screens to Moirai and me. It stared at us, tasting the air, and then began to hiss rapidly.
And darned but if Moirai didn't answer back in her own hisses.
The creature dropped from view, but a moment later it came around some of the plants, moving sinuously, and I realized I had been wrong. It was not half my size. Oh no, it was significantly longer than half my size. It came to a stop and then reared up again, although the vast majority of its length remained coiled along the floor, the tail disappearing amongst the plants.
And then, hovering in air between us, words appeared.
You are the one.
I glanced at Bronze. "It accesses my visor?"
"With my permission," she said. "Sapphire Fletcher, my mating candidate, may I present Dr. Fitza, a very, very important colleague."