Candidate (Selected Book 4)

by Robin Roseau

  I looked across the charts again. Then I tapped the Korean woman. "This one could be talked into a willing match." I tapped the Black woman. "She's going to fight." I looked at the other two. "I can't tell on either of these."

  "I'm going to add one more bar," Jasmine said. And underneath each set of characteristics appeared a bar with a slider on it. The blonde and Korean women were far to the right. The redhead was near the middle. And the Black woman was far to the left.

  "What is that?"

  "Here are yours and below it, mine." Two more sliders appeared, both far to the left, with Jasmine's off the scale to the left.

  "Gender preference?"

  "Yes."

  "Homosexual versus heterosexual?"

  "No. Preference. Male to the right, female to the left. The score is meaningless for some species of course."

  "Such as Catseye?"

  "Actually, such as Octal. Octal are Octal. Seven females and one male. And there are other species, although none known are spacefaring, that literally have no gender at all. They reproduce through division."

  "Too much information," I said.

  "Right. Does this change your answer?"

  I tapped the image of the Black woman. "She will find Catseye interesting."

  "And a few other species," Jasmine said. "I won't comment on which yet."

  "How many of them prefer a challenge?"

  "There are only two species in human space that are strictly female, Catseye being one. There are two more than are heavily female-female, the Octals being one. Of the remaining extraterrestrial species, eight experience female-female homosexuality in a fashion similar to humans, although the ratios vary widely. Of those, two are entirely pansexual. And I may need to reluctantly add Ardents to the count, if Jessica Maple continues to investigate feelings for you."

  "Why reluctantly?"

  "She may be an aberration, or it may be that female-female homosexuality may be common amongst the other castes, but I have less experience with them."

  "I think she's just curious, and while I'm willing to spend time with her and help her figure out her feelings, if you made me pick her or the arena with eight females you pick, I might pick the arena."

  "You don't care for her?"

  "I like her a great deal, but she's figuring out what she wants, and I don't want to fall in love with someone who will decide two years from now she made a mistake."

  "All right. That's fair. But if I were sending you into the arena today, she would be in there with you, and if she wins, I would expect you to give her your best."

  "Fine," I said. "This woman." I tapped the screen.

  "She's going to want to fight. I agree with you. But we may talk her into other choices."

  "Can you give her the same deal you gave me?"

  "No. But I might be able to host, well, a party. She is not the only human I would invite." She tapped the redhead. "I'd invite her as well, and four others from this batch."

  "So this is what you do first?" I asked.

  "I read the dossiers on everyone arriving," she said. "Some I read more carefully than others. I divide the batch between my senior event coordinators and myself, and then I study my list more carefully. These four women are fairly stable. They come from healthy backgrounds with good educations. For humans, they are each mentally stable. They are yours."

  "Mine? You said I couldn't learn this quickly."

  "Two are from my batch and two are from Clover's. I want you to study them. Decide how you're going to tell them what is happening to them. Decide how you're going to offer the chance to accept this willingly. You have an hour until our first event. It is one of Clover's, but I've already suggested she put you back on cameras."

  I nodded.

  "You'll need time to prepare, so arrive a half hour before the scheduled start time. It's in our coastal region, so you will need to acquaint yourself with our amphibious cameras."

  I nodded. "All right."

  "Now, I need to speak to my mating candidate for a moment." I nodded. "Your schedule is filling. You've been sending your challengers to me to schedule your events. I don't want you to do that anymore."

  "I don't know when you have me scheduled for other things. I don't know when I can schedule an event."

  "That information is available through your visor, but I do not want a mating candidate managing this portion of her schedule. Will you mind if Dark Skies does it?"

  "No."

  "Then I will block out your schedule when you are mine, and you will send your challengers to her. She will discuss how she wishes you to do so. If my need for you changes, then either she or I will inform your challenger of the schedule change."

  "All right."

  "If you check your schedule, it appears you have several events scheduled, including one late this afternoon."

  I smiled. "With a certain Wookie?"

  "Yes."

  "I like her."

  "I do, too."

  "She may have the sexiest voice I've ever heard."

  Jasmine snuffle-laughed. "I think so, too, although I do not care for her native language, and her accent in Catseye is too thick to be understood."

  "Is she also curious, or does she actively seek a human female?"

  "I don't know. I believe she is curious, but I can not judge if she is serious. It is early to tell, perhaps for all of us."

  "I guess we'll see."

  Jasmine stood. "If you have questions, feel free to ask. I'll collect you when it's time to head to the control room."

  * * * *

  With the Catseye gone, I dug into the material regarding the four women. I started with Alisha Stanley, the black woman. She was 26 and from Los Angeles. And then I stared.

  She was a doctor. She was in her first year residency when the aliens took her. Oh, she was not going to be happy. No, she was not going to be happy at all.

  I checked the clock. I didn't have time to dig in depth at this time.

  Next was the blonde woman, Laurel Sutton. Laurel was 22 and a fresh college graduate. Major: computer science. She looked pretty cute for a geek. Was that judging? Let's just say she was a lot cuter than any of the geeks from Westside Foods. She was a runner and, like me, downhill skier.

  "Sorry, Laurel. Not a lot of downhill skiing here."

  Jackie Yoo was 25, a year younger than our doctor. She had a degree in communications and worked in HR in Silicon Valley.

  Last was the redhead, Peggy Ann Page. 31 years old. Peggy Ann's degree was in forestry, and she worked for the United States government. Peggy Ann was a forest ranger at Glacier National Park. I smiled, wondering what she would think of the jungle challenges. I decided she could have some natural advantages.

  I read a little more, and then Jasmine was back. I was disappointed to see her tentacles were hidden again, but I didn't say anything.

  I stood and walked to her. "You took a doctor in her first year of residency. What kind of fucked up decision was that?"

  "Imagine the opportunities to work for us," Jasmine said. She smiled. "Not unlike your situation."

  "At least I was freshly unemployed," I said. "Do you have any idea how much work medical school is to a human?"

  "Do not berate me, Andromeda."

  I closed my mouth, but I gave her a good glare. Finally I huffed. "Let's go."

  * * * *

  I loved the aquatic cameras!

  "I am so going to make some of my challenges in the water," I told Dark Skies on our way to lunch.

  "That was a good challenge," she said. "Their fourth. The human is stubborn. I think she's going to take it all the way to seven. If she does, she'll be here after we begin the next batch."

  "Does she think she can win?"

  "She's lost every challenge so far, but she doesn't stop fighting. The Loris is going to have his hands full with her."

  "Why is he called a Loris?"

  "Did you see his eyes? They resemble an Earth creature with the same name."

&n
bsp; "Oh," I said. "Of course."

  There was a cafeteria. When we arrived, Dark Skies was the only alien. "Everyone is human," I said.

  "Yes. This is the human cafeteria. But I ordered ahead." And so five minutes found us across a small table from each other. I eyed her food.

  "Looks good," I said.

  "I'd let you try it, but I don't think you want to go to the hospital," she said. We both dived into our meals, and then she said, "Let's talk about your schedule."

  "All right."

  "On this issue, you are the mating candidate. If you fight with me, I am obligated to punish you."

  I sighed. "All right."

  "Administrator Brighteyes was very clear with me. I'm sorry, Andromeda."

  "It's fine, Dark Skies."

  "Good. I don't want this to hurt our friendship. Your visor will display your schedule. I have authority to add items or rearrange them. I will warn you if I make changes, but you should check every morning."

  I smiled. This part was no different than how I used to treat Gerri.

  "I understand."

  "If you wish to accept a challenge or schedule one of your dates, you will message me, and I will decide. Furthermore, it may be some of the women will bypass you and come straight to me. I have been directed to accept on your behalf."

  "Only females, right?"

  "Right. Only females. Once you have spent time with someone you may register your preferences, but I am not obligated to take them into consideration."

  I didn't say anything to that.

  "You have accepted offers for each of the next three evenings. They are now on your visor."

  I checked, and sure enough: there they were. I nodded.

  "I would like you to come for a meal in my home the following evening. You may say 'no'. If you accept, you won't be leaving until the morning."

  "That is the most clinical date request I've ever received," I said. "Haven't you ever asked a woman out before?"

  "No."

  "Oh. Well, then I am going to teach you. Can you authorize me to remove the visor if I promise to behave?"

  She paused. "If you misbehave, Administrator Brighteyes will be very upset with me."

  "I won't misbehave. You are asking me to trust you. Perhaps you should trust me."

  She paused then nodded. When she nodded again, I activated the menu then hit Deactivate. A moment later the visor was resting on the table between us. I rubbed my eyes then leaned forward, staring into Dark Skies' eyes. She was watching me carefully, but perhaps nervously.

  "Dark Skies," I said, my voice low. It was the sultriest voice I had. I didn't know if it was that sultry, but it had worked to good effect in the past.

  "Andromeda?"

  I leaned closer to her then reached out and captured her hand, cradling it in both of mine. "I find you fascinating."

  "You do?"

  "Deeply. I would very much enjoy an evening meal together during my soonest opening."

  "Andromeda," she said. She squirmed in her chair.

  "Followed by..." and I lowered my voice even further, whispering, "a battle of wills."

  She actually gulped. Then I lifted her fingers to my lips and kissed them. I looked over her blue fingers into her eyes. "Please say yes."

  "Yes," she whispered.

  Then I released her hand and leaned back in the chair. "And that is how you ask a human woman on a date."

  Then I picked up the visor and settled it back in place. It wasn't until we were back at work she pulled herself together enough to ask, "Did you say 'yes'?"

  "Yes, Dark Skies. I said 'yes'."

  * * * *

  Clover was the event coordinator for the afternoon event, and it was to be in the coliseum. Dark Skies and I had been in the control room for several minutes when Clover said, "Andromeda, I want you to see this in person. Come with me."

  She turned for the exit, and I scrambled to follow her. In the hallway, she turned to me. "You are not allowed to see this route." A moment later my visor dimmed, and then she took my arm. We walked quietly for a minute or two, then she pulled me through a doorway and pressed me against the wall.

  Then there was snuffling noise. I stood complacently, but when the noise continued, I said, "Clover? Is something wrong?"

  "Andromeda," she said. "Jasmine Brighteyes told me what you're trying to do."

  "I don't understand."

  "I haven't seen Peony in weeks." Then there was more of the snuffling sound. "We didn't know this would be so hard."

  "Oh, Clover," I said. I reached for her. I encountered tentacle. She tried to withdraw from me, but I followed the tentacles and then pulled her into a hug. A moment later she wrapped around me, entirely around me. And then the snuffling came from all around me, and I realized the sound came from her tentacles.

  Then she squeezed tighter, too tight, and I whispered, "Not so tight. Can't breathe." At that, she relaxed, but she held me tightly, snuffling the entire time.

  That went on for a minute or two, and then she said, "Catseye do not normally hug with clothing in the way."

  I released her immediately, but she didn't release me. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

  "I am not offended. I am asking permission. I would need to loosen your blouse. We prefer nothing in the way."

  "Oh. Oh. Um. All right."

  She didn't wait for more. Two of her tentacles slipped between us, and she unbuttoned my blouse. I wasn't quite expecting that, but I didn't stop her. Once it was loose, she slid three of her tentacles inside the blouse. The last wrapped around my neck and basically buried my entire head, a portion wrapping across my face.

  The snuffling resumed.

  It was quite odd. But I wrapped my own arms around her, finding at some point she'd loosened her own blouse. And so I let my hands find the bare skin of her back.

  And we simply held each other.

  "Thank you," she whispered eventually. Slowly she unwrapped from me. "I'm going to let you see so you can fix your clothing."

  She withdrew from me, and slowly my vision brightened. I looked around briefly. We were in an office, although it may have been unused. There was office furniture but no sign someone used this space.

  I turned away from her to fix my clothing. When I turned to her, her tentacles were hidden again, and she looked almost like a human businesswoman.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't plan this. We really were heading for the arena."

  "It's fine. Have I just made a new friend?"

  She smiled. "I believe you have." She looked around for a moment. "This was Peony's office."

  "Oh. I imagine you miss her terribly."

  She nodded. "Without her, we're shorthanded. It was already a heavy workload, but now... I could go to visit. I can do most of the work of the next several days from anywhere. But there's just too much right now. If you can help, then maybe you'll be able to do enough. I'd have to work, but I could see her at the same time."

  "She can't come here?"

  Clover shook her head. "She is needed where she is. They need me, too, and so I am here doing my work and hers, and she is there doing her work and mine." She smiled. "I've never hugged a human before. You taste really good."

  "I taste good."

  "Yes." She turned partly away from me. "Jasmine Brighteyes told me you understood."

  "About your tentacles? She showed me hers."

  "Yes."

  "I suppose that makes sense," I said.

  "I had heard humans taste good." She smiled. "We should hurry."

  My visor dimmed, and then we were moving again.

  * * * *

  The arena was set up with a variety of pieces of equipment. The candidate and challenger would be fighting from atop the equipment, set up as a series of bridges, catwalks, and the like.

  I looked up, and I could see my cameras flitting around. As I watched, several of them zipped down to follow me from multiple directions, and several more focused on Clover.

  "What's
going on, Clover?"

  "I do not believe this configuration is good. I want us to run the event."

  "I don't think so," I said. "It uses the power staffs."

  "We'll turn them to their lowest settings," she said. "It will tingle, but that is all, but you should react as if it hurts."

  "We're supposed to fight up there." I pointed. "I'm not good at something like this, and I don't want to fall."

  "You won't get hurt, Andromeda. It will be fun, and I want a human perspective."

  "Use one of the guards."

  "She'd kick my ass, as the humans who come here like to say."

  I laughed. "Fine."

  "We'll play for five points. We'll do the first in the middle, which I think looks good, but then we'll move to the places I don't like."

  "Fine. Are we playing for real points or are we going easy on each other?"

  "Which would you prefer?"

  "If we're playing for real points, then I want to win something."

  "Are you offering something when you lose?"

  I smiled. "Sure. I'll let you hug me whenever you want."

  She snuffle-laughed. "If you win, you get your blanket."

  "Really?"

  "Three days."

  "Oh, no. I'm offering to let you hug me whenever you want indefinitely."

  She paused. "All right. But it will be a transparent blanket, as you asked. You won't win though."

  "We'll see. I'm motivated now."

  "If we're playing for real points, the staffs need to be set high enough to be unpleasant. Is your blanket worth it?"

  I sighed and nodded. "Are hugs?"

  "Yes."

  "Well then."

  "You start there," she said, gesturing. "I'm over there. We'll meet in the middle. Don't forget your staff."

  We turned backs on each other. I walked to my start. One of the dreaded staffs was there, and I grabbed it. Then it was up a ramp with bars for sides. As soon as I was clear, a cage door slammed shut behind me, startling me. I spun around. "Did you do that, Dark Skies?"