Candidate (Selected Book 4) (44 page)

"We don't fight."

"You wouldn't fight for me, Jasmine Brighteyes?" I asked teasingly.

"Answer my question."

"Fine. You're right. I could be happy with many of those."

"This appears barbaric, but it is a portion of the culture -- and for some, biological needs -- of the men surrounding these women. But they will treat them well, and these women will have good lives."

I didn't respond to that. Instead I said, "They need to see us approach, but I don't want anything flashy."

"Leave it to me. It is time. Come."

And then she stepped forward, but she relaxed her hold on my chains, and soon I was following five feet behind her, my arms outstretched. We stepped into the sunlight, and then she came to a stop. I moved slightly sideways so that all the women could see me, if they looked, and just a little closer to Jasmine, lowering my arms but the chain still tight.

Then we stood there, waiting.

From the stands, the assembled audience saw us, of course, and they set up a fresh racket. Apparently this was a popular event.

I looked around. Some of the males were watching me. Some were watching the women. Some were watching each other. And I saw three females as well. I didn't know their species. But I was glad I'd fought the Implac and not any of them.

I wondered how this would work out for them. If they wanted a mate, they should come to me. I'd help them out.

But then I turned to look at the women. Some of them had noticed us and were looking this way. A few looked over their shoulders. Some stared at the pillar that was holding them, and a few were looking around, barely glancing at Jasmine and me.

Then Jasmine tugged on my arms, and we were walking again.

She didn't lead me straight into position. Instead, we approached the women but then walked all the way around them, Jasmine clearly leading me by the chain. That got the attention of nearly all the women. And that was when she led me into the center of the circle.

There was a pillar there, but she didn't press my hands to it. She hooked the furthest end of the chain, a chain so long it could reach to any of the other women. She reeled me in and released the ring that bound my wrists closely, offering me a little more movement.

And then she stepped away. She remained in the circle, but she stepped from the center.

"You're live, Andromeda," said Clover into my ears. "There are two women from Japan, but they have visors and will receive a translation. Don't worry about pausing."

I nodded once. Then I stepped partly away from the pillar, dragging the chain with me. I turned a slow circle, looking at each of the women in turn. Most were watching either me or Jasmine, but two were crying and staring down.

I stepped to the first of them. She looked young, but they all looked young, I suppose. I reached with my hands and lifted her chin, then wiped away the tears. Then I leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

I walked to the other and did the same. And in the stands, the crowd grew quiet.

I looked around, and then I spoke. "All of you have been told what is happening here." I looked around, this time past the women. "Staring at the reality is frightening."

"Why are they doing this to us?" one of the women asked.

I turned to her. "Humanity owes a debt. Right or wrong, we are here to pay that debt. We are needed. Right or wrong, this is how the debt is to be paid."

"They're going to kill us!"

"No," I said. "They are not."

"Who are you?" asked another.

"Didn't you watch?" said a third. "She's the one from yesterday, the one who kicked that alien bitch's ass!"

I turned to that woman and approached her. She was looking at me with fierce eyes. I smiled at her. "You watched?"

"They played it on the wall, like a movie," she said. "I don't know if anyone else saw."

"I did," said someone, then a bunch of others were nodding.

"My name is Andromeda Hayes," I said. "Like all of you, I am a mating candidate. I arrived here the same way all of you did. But I've been here for almost two weeks." I rattled the chain. "The aliens have something special in mind for me, but in the end, I will most likely leave the same way most of you will, mated to one of the aliens."

I turned a circle. "This seems hopeless. Looking at these males here today, they are frightening."

"I don't want to marry any of them!" said one woman to much agreement.

"We're going to kick their asses!" said the one with the fierce gaze.

I turned to her. "Perhaps as well as I did yesterday. But none of you will have to be carried from the arena. These aliens are fierce to their foes, but they are very gentle to their mates. They will not hurt you. Look at them. They could break us like a twig, but they will be gentle."

"I don't believe that," said another.

"I don't blame you," I said. "I don't blame you at all. I'm not sure I'd believe me." I turned around again. "All of you are here on these sands because first the aliens took you, but second, you chose to fight rather than accept a species that wishes a willing mate."

"Damned right we're going to fight." That was echoed by several of the women, but a few were very quiet. I walked to one. "What's your name?"

"Sylvie," she said.

"Sylvie, you should call me Andie. Sylvie, you don't look like you want to fight."

She looked down and shook her head. "But they can't make us marry them!"

"They seem to feel differently, and they have all the power." Then I muttered, "Clover, bio."

Sylvie appeared in my image immediately, and I skimmed quickly, then smiled.

"Sylvie," I said. "Have you ever dreamed of seeing other planets?"

She didn't say anything.

"Maybe walking on the moon?"

She looked up at that, then she lifted her eyes into the air, searching for it. And then we all looked, and it hung over us, a crescent, but it was there.

"The moon?"

"NASA doesn't have plans to go any time soon," I said. "But I wouldn't be too surprised to learn the aliens have a nice little hotel there."

Jasmine stepped forward. "Nice is a relative term. Yes, we have a base on the moon."

Sylvie's eyes snapped to Jasmine. "Really?"

"Really."

"Do... do humans ever go?"

"I wouldn't say often, but yes, they do."

"But the space station is out near Saturn," I said. "Oh, imagine the rings."

"You can't see Saturn from the station," said Sylvie. "It's in the L4 position."

"I have no idea what that means."

"It's as far from Saturn as it is from the sun," she explained. "It's a stable orbit. It's dark and cold and
dead
."

"I bet the stars are brilliant."

"When bringing a mating candidate to the station," said Jasmine, "it is common to swing past Saturn on the way. It's not necessary for orbital dynamics, but who would want to skip a chance to see the rings up close? And we have a small base on Titan."

"What!" said Sylvie. "Are you serious?"

"Of course."

"I-" She looked at me, then back at Jasmine. "I could stand on
Titan
?"

"It would be up to your mate," she said. "You would not be the first mating candidate to do so."

"I could stand on Titan and stare at the rings of Saturn."

"Yes, if your mate agrees to take you." Then Jasmine smiled. "The space station is a double toroid five kilometers in diameter. And it is not
dead
. It is filled with life."

"It rotates."

"Yes," said Jasmine.

Sylvie stared hard at Jasmine, then looked at me. Then she looked around the arena. She turned back to me. "I don't want to fight here today."

"I didn't think so. There are options."

Sylvie looked down, and then her gaze snapped up, and just as quickly she turned to Jasmine. "You're
space aliens
."

"Yes," Jasmine said. "To you, we are space aliens."

"With space alien technology."

"Yes," she agreed. "Amazing technology." Then she smiled and leaned closer. "And once you accept your mate, you have access to all of it."

"These challenges, not the one today, but the rest. I'm supposed to fight one of those men?" She gestured with her nose. "That other one, the one who talked to me, said the humans win some of the challenges, but there's no way I can beat someone like that."

"And yet, I wonder how it is human women win against an Ardent, for instance," Jasmine said. She gestured. "That's the really big one there."

"He'd chew me up and spit me out."

"They're pussy cats," I said. "I like them."

She turned her gaze back to Jasmine. "I bet you use advanced technology in these challenges."

"In some."

"Light sabers?"

"Those don't exist," she said.

"I saw one with lasers though," I said. "And force fields. It was pretty cool. It looked like fun, actually."

"But today is low tech," said Sylvie. "Sticks and nets and stuff. Gladiator shit."

"Yeah," I said. "Gladiator shit. You won't get hurt, Sylvie."

'"Yeah, not interested," she said. "But I'd do the laser battle." She turned to Jasmine. "I want one that will take me to Titan."

"That is between you and your challenger," Jasmine said.

"Fine. Which one will agree? I can give him my ribbon, right?" She gestured with her nose. "Which one?"

"Administrator Brighteyes, will all of these males treat their mates with gentleness and love?"

"They will," she said.

"Sylvie, I have to talk to these other women. But then we're going to let you all go, and you get time to go talk to them. Everyone heard this conversation, and they hear me now. So you will walk in a slow circle, and some will tell you, Sylvie, I will take you to Titan. And you should talk to them, but don't stop at the first one. Talk to them, decide which you like, and give him your ribbon."

She smiled and nodded. "All right. But he better not think I'm going to be a cake walk in the other challenges."

"Oh, I have no doubt," I said.

I stepped away. I turned to the woman who looked the most vulnerable. Her head was down, but I was sure she'd heard every word. I walked straight to her. Jasmine stayed behind, and I think she talked longer to Sylvie, but I focused on the next girl.

"I don't want to go into space," she said quietly. "I want to go home."

"I know," I said. "What's your name?"

And before she could answer, her bio appeared in my vision. I sighed. They'd taken her out of college.

"I'm Becky," she said.

"I'm Andie," I said. I skimmed the rest of her bio. And then I smiled. "Were you in college?"

"A junior. I'm a biology major."

"Biology. That's a tough major."

"I like it. I was going to get my doctorate and go into research."

"It's a shame you can't go to an alien school," I said. "The things they could teach you."

She looked up at that but didn't say anything.

"The aliens are all so different," I said. "I think they're fascinating, especially all the differences."

"You're trying to manipulate me."

"Yes, I am," I said. "But am I wrong?"

She didn't say anything. Instead, she lowered her eyes. "I just want to go back to school."

"Did you have a boyfriend?"

"No. I did, in high school. He was kind of a jerk. You know what boyfriends are like."

"I'm afraid I don't," I said. "But I could talk about girlfriends if you like."

She looked up at that. "You're gay."

"Yep." I leaned closer. "I'm breathing gay germs at you."

She laughed. "You do know there are no such things."

"Yeah, but I wasn't sure if you did." I paused. "Becky, did you want to go to school for, well, the parties and the boys and living in a dorm?"

"Dorms suck."

"You wanted to go so you could learn."

"Yeah. I love lab work."

Jasmine moved closer, and I turned to her. "Did you hear all that?"

"I did. Becky, there are no males standing around you that are biologists."

She looked around and lowered her eyes.

"There are several biologists in the stands from amongst those species who take willing mates."

"I don't need to marry a biologist," she said. "But I'd want someone smart who would support me and let me have a career. I bet these guys just want a baby machine. How can I even have a baby for them? We don't share any DNA. I'm closer to a fungus than I am to any of these guys."

"And yet, here we are," Jasmine said. "But don't ask me. I'm not a biologist. So you don't need a biologist, but maybe you wouldn't mind a scientist."