Candidate (Selected Book 4) (36 page)

Alisha licked her lips briefly then looked back and forth between us. "You're right," she said to me. "It tastes weird. Not bad. Just... weird. You said you're getting used to it?"

"The few humans who accept this become a little greedy for it," Jasmine said. "If they meet a new Catseye, they can be quite demanding for what they tend to call a
proper hug
. They shouldn't do that with people they just met, but humans taste so good, if the Catseye has ever tasted one, they never refuse."

"Taste? You were tasting me?"

"Well, no. I have to suck harder to do that. It leaves marks."

I turned around to look at my back. "Jasmine Brighteyes!" I yelled. "Have you been marking my skin?"

"I'm sure those are from Clover Speckles," Jasmine said immediately.

I jumped to my feet and spun around. "Doctor, is my back marked?"

"A little," she said. "Little round marks. Come closer. Let me look."

I moved backwards around the table. She leaned over. "Yep. Little marks. They don't look too bad."

"Alisha, if you take a Catseye lover, your back will be covered in those most of the time."

"Do they hurt, Andromeda?"

"I didn't even notice." I reached back. "I can't feel anything."

"Reach just a little higher," said Alisha. "Under your fingers now."

"It's smooth," I said. "Nothing hurts."

I spun around and glared at Jasmine. "You've got me parading around half naked and you've been leaving marks on my back."

"Not just
half
naked," Jasmine said. "We can't help it. You
taste good
."

"First they said I smell good," I whined. "Now she says I taste good." I moved back to my chair and plopped down.

Alisha watched all this. She turned back to Jasmine. "I would like to meet these other Catseye, the ones from the station. And if they are not interested, then I will review the other possibilities."

Jasmine and I did our dating routine, which seemed to amuse Alisha to no end, and then she added that to her list of demands. Jasmine feigned anger and finally said, "All right, but unlike that one, if your back becomes marked, I don't want to hear any complaints."

"Irrelevant," she said. "I agree."

Five minutes later she had a visor and was out the door. Jasmine sat down across the table from me and stared at me. "Are you really upset?"

"About the marks? No. I am, however, starving. Will you take me to lunch?"

"It's being catered here in a few more minutes, as soon as Clover and Bay finish their current interviews."

* * * *

They all had a lot more than four people to do, and so there would be more interviews into the afternoon. But Jasmine said, "I'm giving a few more to Andromeda. I'll oversee them. Two of yours, Cedar." She cocked her head, and a moment later, so did Cedar.

"That's fine," said the Loris.

"What did you think of the ones this morning?" Clover asked. "Do you have a feel for the challenges we should offer?"

"We won't have to, Clover. Your two decided to accept willingly. That should help the work load a little, at least."

"What?" she said.

"I said-"

"I heard what you said."

"Let's discuss it this afternoon," Jasmine said.

"I'm due in the pool. You guys won't be done by then."

"We'll find time," Jasmine said. "Right before you head for your swim."

"All right."

I held three more interviews that afternoon. Two were gay; one was decidedly straight. They were all angry and arrived with a full guard detail. The first didn't even want to listen to me. Finally I yelled.

"Look!" I screamed. "If you don't shut the fuck up and listen to me, the fucking aliens are going to fucking give you to a fucking man! And there's not a damned thing you can do about it. So you can shut the fuck up and help me get you out of this mess, or you can fucking take what fucking comes."

That shut her up for about five seconds.

"I'll kill him."

"Let me show you something." I picked up the tablet, selected an image, and turned it around. "This is me."

"Yes, whatever."

"This is me with a female Ardent."

"Holy fuck!"

"A
female
Ardent, Deb." I used my visor to drive, selecting the next image. "This species is called a Wookie. You can guess why. That's also a female. Her brother is bigger."

"Oh fuck," she said again.

"But here's the kicker," I said. "I actually liked the Ardent, and both Wookies were really nice. But this guy. He's not as broad as the Ardents, but he's still a monster. He's called an Implac, and he's a right son of a bitch. This asshole comes from a species that doesn't recognize homosexuality. He's one of those assholes who thinks we just haven't met the right male, and they are so full of themselves they believe they are just the male to convince us."

"Fuck," she said again. "Fuck. You can't let them give me to someone like that. You can't."

"I know. Now, will you please listen to me?"

"I'm listening."

I started over. I gave her the full dope. And fifteen minutes later, Cedar stepped in, already carrying a visor case.

After Deb was lead away, Cedar turned to me. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get her to listen."

"I speak her language."

"My English is quite good."

"Yeah, but you're not a lesbian human."

* * * *

The second of Cedar's was a large woman named Julie. I wasn't sure why Jasmine gave her to me to talk to, and I wasn't sure why she came in so late. She let herself be led in, although there were four guards. And then they took the hood and left. She blinked at me a few times.

"You're not an alien," she said.

"No." I told her everything. She listened quietly.

"No one is going to want me," she said.

"Julie, what do you do for a living?" It was in her bio, but I wanted to get her talking.

"I'm a statistician."

"For an insurance company?"

"Yes."

"That means you're an amazing mathematician, right?"

"Yeah. Numbers don't judge. Data doesn't judge."

"I bet you're smart." She shrugged at that. But she looked me up and down. "Don't try any condescending BS with me. You got all the good genes. And I can't find a pair of jeans that fit."

"You're right," I said. "I got lucky in that department. But we both got lucky in the brains department."

"I guess."

"How much school do you have? I bet it takes some schooling to become a statistician." I already knew the answer to that.

"I have a doctorate," she said.

"So, really, really smart."

"Numbers make sense."

"Yes. I know about numbers, but for me, it's business. Dollars and cents, and the math is a lot easier."

"You don't look like you worry how people judge you."

"Everyone worries," I said. "You worry because you don't fit a size four. I worry because I'm gay. It's better than it was, and I'm glad I'm not twenty years older, dealing with the shit back then. But when it comes to bigotry, I've dealt with my share. You've dealt with more, but it's not a competition, is it? And if we want to compare, well, people shame you, and it's a lot more obvious, but no one threatens to kill you because you're fat."

"Just put it right out there, why don't you?"

"Why dance around it?" I asked. "Have you ever had someone screaming you're going to hell because you kiss women?"

"No, I suppose not."

"So, let's not compare. I don't know your pain, but I know my own. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"I want to show you something." I used the tablet again. "This is a female Ardent. I'm not sure, but I think she has a hundred pounds on you. She's one of their warriors."

She stared at the screen.

"Beauty takes many forms," I said. "And we don't know what the aliens are going to want. But they went through a lot of work to haul you here, and I don't think they'd do that if they didn't think they wanted you."

She looked down, and tears began crawling from her eyes.

"Did you like your job?"

"It was a job," she said. "I like the numbers. I like the puzzles."

"You have a doctorate, Julie. Do you like learning mathematics? Statistics? Which is it?"

"Both," she said. "But pure mathematics doesn't have quite the same career possibilities. My doctorate is in mathematics."

"And you were a good student. Would I understand your doctoral thesis?"

"Probably not."

"I bet the aliens would," I said.

She lifted her chin.

"Maybe not all of them," I added. "What do you think matters more to them? A size four, or that brain of yours?"

The tears began flowing faster. "I've never had a date. I've certainly never been kissed. I've never had someone who wanted to hold my hand."

I sent a message to Jasmine. "I need help with this one."

"Look, Julie, is a career about loving the job? Or about a living?"

"I couldn't be a stay-at-home mom. I need stimulation."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But what about research?"

"In mathematics? I bet the aliens don't need me for that."

"Maybe not. I really don't know. But maybe they'd set you up. Or maybe your mate would. Maybe you can do math for humans, not the aliens. I don't know. But don't you think there are chances?"

The door behind me opened, and Julie looked up. I felt a tentacle on my back, and I didn't even have to turn. "Jasmine Brighteyes, this is Doctor Julie Crane. She is a doctor in mathematics, not a medical doctor."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Doctor," Jasmine said, sitting down beside me.

"You're a Catseye," Julie said. "I've seen some of you on television."

"Yes."

"Jasmine, Julie here seems to think it was ridiculous for you to bring her here, that it is impossible anyone would want her."

"Did you tell her about the Ardents?"

"I did," I said. "But I don't know how to advise her. She wants a career, but I don't even know where to begin."

"Mathematicians are deeply valued," Jasmine said. "If you were headed for the space station, you'd have a dozen interviews lined up before you arrived, although your mate won't let you accept until you've decided you're staying." She turned to me. "You explained about all that, right?"

"Yes," Julie said. "He's going to woo me. No one is going to woo me." She looked back and forth. "Maybe that's not true. I don't think I'd like the sort of man who would fight over me. Those aren't usually nice men."

"You would be treated like a princess," Jasmine said.

Julie looked down. "I'd have a heart attack during these challenges."

"Doctor, if I introduced you to a man who thought the world of you, would you give him a chance to prove he would treat you well?"

"No man is going to want me."

"And yet, I am offering to prove you wrong. Will you give him a chance, a real chance?"

Julie looked down at her bound hands for a while then looked up. The tears were drying on her cheeks. "Yes," she whispered. "Please don't tease me. It's cruel."

"I want you to go into the arena," Jasmine said. "Did Andromeda tell you about the ribbons?" Julie nodded. "I want you to go into the arena, and then when it's time, I want you to pick up your ribbon and walk to the man I tell you to walk to. I want you to offer him your ribbon. I promise he'll take it."

"He's going to throw it to the ground and laugh at me."

Jasmine paused. "There will be three men. They will be next to each other. You will walk to a spot where they can all hear you. You will hold up your ribbon. You will ask who wants it. And then you will pick from your choices. If none choose you, I'll let you go home. If you don't want to return to your old job, I can get you interviews at others."

"With the aliens."

"Yes. With the aliens. Good jobs. Very good jobs."

"If I go into the arena, even if I give my ribbon, she said there are still challenges."

"We'll pick challenges you can do. You might even enjoy them."

"That's not possible, unless it's a doughnut-eating contest."

"Your challenger is going to want to win, but he wants good challenges. He needs to feel he won you. I promise, they will be good challenges, the best I can make. Julie, we didn't choose you as some sort of sick joke. You have to ask yourself. If I find a man who wants you, and I can give you an amazing job and an adventure besides, do you think you're interested?"

She nodded slowly. "And if not, I go home."