Jonathan leaned forward, studying him intently. “What is it, Woods? More bad news?”
“The worst,” said Maurice through the constriction in his throat. “The market crashed again. Everything we rallied the other day has all been lost. They’ve issued a margin call. Total costs. Everything I own is gone—completely lost. Even the very grounds we are standing upon are no longer mine.”
“Papa!” Jasmine gasped. “What are we going to do?”
“I—don’t know,” he said, and tears began to stream down his cheeks. “I—hope you two don’t mind, but I cannot possibly go out today. If you don’t mind, I should like to be alone.”
They watched as he stumbled from the room, and then Jasmine and Jonathan exchanged a worried stare. Jonathan said, “I suppose I should discover what this may have done to my properties and stocks as well. You won’t mind if I head home?”
“No, I don’t mind,” she told him grimly. “I imagine you’re going to want to know.”
“I shall call upon you later in the day, then,” he said as he also rose and left the room. Jasmine found herself sitting there alone. She picked at her food for a few minutes before she got up as well. She passed by her father’s study and headed toward the back of the house, where the servants would have gathered. Just because her father was unlikely to give them the news didn’t mean they should not be told.
She found them listening to the radio. Obviously, they already knew about the crash. As she entered their little parlor, Phillips got quickly to his feet. Cook and Hilda came rushing to her side, each taking one of her arms as they guided her to a seat.
“Miss, you know you should not be back here with the likes of us,” Hilda reminded her. “Your father won’t like you visiting the help at all.”
“I suppose you’ve all heard?” she asked softly. “It will be strange, getting on without any of you. You ought to begin looking for new positions immediately.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Cook insistently. “You never know what the rest of the day might hold.”
“Papa did not seem to be taking it well,” Jasmine worried. “He’s holed up in his study, and his friend seems to have gone home. I hope everything is going to be all right.”
Just then, the distinctive sound of one pistol shot rang throughout the entire house. The three servants’ eyes went wide, and Jasmine stared for all of about thirty seconds before anybody even moved.
“You don’t think he would—” she began, but then she stopped because she was certain that she already knew. “My God, he did, didn’t he? How am I going to survive?”
“My sister and her husband own a little farm nearby,” said Cook sympathetically. “When I go there and fall upon their mercy, I could take you with me too. We could start looking for work together, Miss Jasmine. I’m sure that it will be all right.”
Jasmine nodded. She couldn’t speak though, since she had just begun to cry.
“I’ll just go and see if we’re right, shall I?” said Phillips uncomfortably. “You ladies probably ought to remain behind.”
“Phillips, you’re a real good egg,” Jasmine told him past her sobs. “If I had any money, I would definitely give you a raise.”
He set a hand on top of her head and said, “Don’t fret, miss. No matter what I find, you’re going to be all right.”
*****
They hadn’t been able to afford a funeral, but the servants did manage to scrape up enough money between them to buy a cheap box. Phillips himself dug a hole out in the yard and lowered Maurice’s body down inside. Jasmine threw some roses from the hothouse in before the hired boys began to fill the shallow grave in once again.
Jonathan was on hand for the burial, but that was the last time he ever came to call. As he said, “With nothing to offer you that would save your home, Jazz, I really think taking up with me would only hold you down. And I think maybe it’s time you learned how to fly. I hope that life will take you to all the exciting places you want it to.”
Three days later, the mortgage lender stopped by. Jasmine was sitting in the parlor with her needlepoint, and Phillips led the man inside. “Stay with us, Phillips, please,” said Jasmine with a sigh.
“I’m Mr. Ross, Miss Woods I have heard about your father, and I felt condolences were in order. I am so sorry about your loss.” said the man, still standing as he held his hat in his hands. “However, as you know I am a man of business, and I have bills of my own. I am afraid I must ask how you intend to continue to pay for this place.”
“I have begun the process of selling off heirlooms, sir,” she explained. “I suppose that should buy me a payment or two. However, I cannot foresee how I can possibly raise enough funds to continue the arrangement beyond that short time. It has occurred to me that simply quitting the place after the sale of those goods might at least provide me with enough money to get something of my own.”
“I will, of course, give you a month if you require it,” said the man with a solemn frown. “Maybe it is beyond my bounds to suggest it, but you might manage to find a suitably rich man to marry you during that time.”
“Well, Mr. Ross, that is quite doubtful,” she told him. “Because I don’t even intend to try.”
By November, Jasmine and Cook, who asked her to start calling her Glenda, had gone to stay on Eunice and Kyle’s farm. They were good people, and they treated her well. Jasmine believed that she owed them her help in the barns to repay that kindness, and so she had taken to feeding the horses, cows and chickens every day.
The work was not difficult, since Kyle lifted the heavy sacks and all Jasmine had to do was open them and distribute the grain. And best of all, one of the local clergymen had heard that she knew how to play, and he had brought one of the old pianos out to the farm for her to keep.
“I don’t think you’ll make much money playing that classical stuff,” Kyle said at the time. “But maybe if you learn some of that jazz music, you might be able to earn a copper or two.”
“You know what, Kyle?” she said enthusiastically. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
FOUR
One year after her father’s death, the jazz club was keeping Jasmine pretty busy, both singing and playing every night. Though she loved to be in the limelight, and she loved the music even more, she hated the way the men there came on to her after her shift was over. They thought that just because she was a musician, that meant she wasn’t a good girl, and she was getting mighty tired of telling them no.
At least when her father was around the men had toned it down, but now that she was on her own she didn’t have much of a buffer. Moving into her own apartment just to be closer to work didn’t seem to have been the best idea. It made men think they could follow her home. Tonight, she was quite worried about the regular who was camped outside her door. She had to call Kyle and beg him to run the guy off, but neither one of them was convinced the guy would leave her alone.
“Maybe you’d best come back out to our place for your two days off,” he suggested. “Eunice could sure love the company, and I just don’t feel right about leaving you alone.”
“Yeah,” said Jasmine nervously. “I’m beginning to think you’re right. And I could really use the break, too. This place just doesn’t feel like—home.”
“Well, I would have to talk with Eunice, of course, but if you need to have some time, you’re welcome to stay,” he replied. “Things just haven’t been the same since you left, you know? Nothing but quiet evenings with that piano gone.”
So, the following morning found Jasmine walking among the farm animals and contemplating her plight. She loved her job for the most part, but she hated the fact that she had to walk home late at night. More than once she’d contemplated getting a car, but since she didn’t have the money and had never learned to drive, she couldn’t see a point to the idea. What she really needed was somebody to keep her safe at night. Fat chance of that happening.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t
see the strange, blinking device until she was right up on it. Something sharp stabbed into her neck, and she realized she was suddenly paralyzed. She had no idea what was going, but she fell to the ground and everything went dark, just as if someone had turned out the lights.
*****
“Sorry for the delay in reviving you, sir,” said the Nibido unit in its usual monotone. “Head trauma could not be assessed until the mission was complete. I was forced to initiate a repair before bringing you online again. You are now functioning normally.”
“Come on, Nibido, way to ruin everything,” Krai complained. “I really wanted a look at planet number three. Where are we now, anyway?”
“We have exited the Uglata system and have begun heading back to Klibdow,” it explained. “The Uglata Three specimens remain in stasis awaiting your convenience, as do the artifacts found on the remaining two worlds. If you would like to move about the cabin, I can initiate the stabilizing field.”
“Yes, Nibido, I believe I would like to move around,” Krai replied testily. “I’d like to know what kind of life forms you brought on board.”
“Yes, sir,” it said, releasing his restraining belt. About the same time it engaged the dampening field, enabling Krai to get up and move around at near-Klibdow gravity. He immediately headed for the Uglata Three containment unit, of course.
There were numerous creatures inside, but despite the fact that one of them looked like an equivalent to an urtz—an animal which produced milk on his world—it was not the animal that Krai noticed first.
“Nibido! This one looks sentient,” he complained as he examined one with two arms, two legs, and a head that was shaped similar to his own. “You’re not supposed to collect the intelligent ones, you crazy robot. You know that. Worse yet, it looks like a female. She’s probably going to be really upset about this.”
“We could put her back,” it suggested ruefully.
“You know better than that,” Krai complained. “We’ve travelled too far now to make that feasible. Surely several of her years have elapsed on her world. She won’t have anything she could return to, and it’s doubtful her people will understand how she disappeared so long and did not age. Wake her up, will you? I think the least we could do is try to explain.”
“It is unwise to awaken a creature during deep space travel procedure,” said the machine in what seemed like a recalcitrant tone.
Krai crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “Would you just do it already?”
“Affirmative,” it said, then injected something into her arm. “It may take time before reacting. It would be wise to strap her into the spare restraint to prevent any injury. Hers—or yours.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Krai agreed.
“Several broadcasts were intercepted which originated on this world,” Nibido added. “The ship’s computer has begun the attempt to translate the words. However, help may not yet be available when she first reopens her eyes.”
“Understood,” said Krai as he moved to sit by her side. “She’s quite attractive, isn’t she?”
“She is aesthetically pleasing enough to increase your heartrate and affect some of your physical systems, it seems,” Nibido said, and lifted a probe up to poke at his growing erection.
“Hey! That thing is off limits unless it is malfunctioning,” Krai complained. “It’s very sensitive, you know.”
“Yes, sir,” it replied. “Will you intake nutrients now, sir?”
“Maybe in a while,” said Krai. “If she wakes, it may feel soothing if we partake of food together. Many sentients like doing such things.”
“We shall see, sir,” it said. “I will now go to check the exterior systems. Let me know if the Uglatan woman wakes.”
“Will do,” said Krai.
*****
Several hours later, Krai had grown tired of waiting for the girl to wake and returned to the Uglata pod to examine some of the other creatures inside. After looking over the larger creatures, he moved to look into some of the smaller tanks. One of them was only half the size of his hand. Inside, he found a tiny creature that seemed mammalian. He picked it up by the tail and chuckled.
“This thing would be a great ice cube for a drink, wouldn’t it?” he said to himself. “It even comes with a built-in stick. The poor little thing. It’s hard to believe it’s still alive.”
A decidedly feminine shout suddenly reached his ears. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and spoke into the communicator. “Nibido? I think our guest is finally awake. You may want to return to the life section now.”
“Yes, sir,” it answered. “I’m on my way.”
FIVE
Jasmine was pinned down onto a strange looking chair. It was made of a material similar to leather, but like no leather she’d ever seen before. All around her, strange objects made of metal with flashing lights beeped and whirred and heightened her sense of utter panic. Just beyond the seat she was perched upon, a huge window spanned a metallic wall. Outside of it, all she saw was a blur of white against a black field, but she had no comprehension of what she was looking at.
“Where am I?” she shouted. “Somebody? Anybody? Help!”
When somebody did come, she wasn’t quite sure she was glad to see him. The man was large, well-muscled, and had a slightly greenish hue. His hair was long and starkly white, his ears were slightly pointed, and he had a strange mark on his forehead. When he spoke, she couldn’t understand a word he said. What she did understand, with great clarity, was that she was not on a small farm in Virginia anymore.
Casting the man a pointed stare, Jasmine tugged meaningfully on the belt that held her down. Understanding lit his face, and he began to move forward, but then stopped. He cast her a suspicious glance, then raised one eyebrow. She could well understand why he didn’t trust her, since she didn’t trust him either, but she really just couldn’t stand to be pinned down.
“Please,” she said imploringly, even though she knew he would not understand her words any more than she did his. She imagined that begging was probably somewhat universal.
His hands came down and pressed a button, and the strap released. Jasmine gave a sigh of relief as she began to sit up in her seat. Then she spotted the same metallic monstrosity she’d seen right before she’d found herself here. She couldn’t help but scream and faint.
*****
“Nibido, what did you do?” Krai complained. “She was perfectly calm a moment ago.”
“The creature’s heartrate is far more elevated than it was before,” said Nibido after a cursory exam. “I would say that she is frightened.”
“She seemed far less afraid of me,” Krai pointed out. “Maybe you should keep out of sight for right now.”
“How can I keep out of sight if I’m meant to be serving your meal?” the robot scoffed. “Her physiology appears quite similar to your own. It may work out best if you wake her yourself, sir. The sooner she trusts you, the better off we will be.”
Rolling his eyes, Krai said, “I could have worked all that out for myself.”
He turned away as the unit began to set a table for two. Taking the girl’s tiny hand, Krai couldn’t help but notice the skin was soft, and delicate too. His own hand was much larger than hers, and he almost felt like he did while he was handling the little ice cube with the tail. Were all the creatures of Uglata Three so delicate? No, that wasn’t accurate, considering the urtzling he’d seen.
Patting her hand gently, Krai then reached down and caught her by her chin, giving her head a little shake. The long, golden hair fell free from its bindings, and he tugged the ribbon off, examining it briefly before he set it aside. Then he resumed trying to get her to wake. “Hey? Are you okay?”
Her eyes flew open—wide. She sat up and looked around again. Pointing at Nibido in alarm, she said something he was certain might be along the lines of, “what is that thing?”
Grinning, he stepped over and pat the unit on the head, then pointed to the spread of fo
od that awaited them. The girl warily scooted to the edge of the acceleration bed. Krai took her hand and helped her to stand. She seemed torn between holding his hand tight and pushing him away, but she did not let go. He could feel her trembling as he guided her over to the food.
She wrinkled her nose in confused consternation, and Krai couldn’t hold in his laughter. The girl glared up at him, and he glanced at the food, then cast her a challenging look. She took his meaning well enough, and climbed up onto the chair. She was so small she looked like a child who had not yet grown big enough to sit there. Sitting down as well, Krai gently lifted her onto his lap.
She balked for a moment, but when she saw that he was only trying to help she started to relax. He picked up one of the coritza beans from her plate and popped it into her mouth. Her expression was one of approval as she pushed back out of his lap and elected to stand as she ate. He noticed that she was blushing.
“Nibido, why is the female looking that way?” he asked the device curiously.
“Physiological cues indicate embarrassment, dismay, and—sexual arousal.”
“Sexual arousal?” Krai gasped. “From me?”
“Well, she certainly isn’t attracted to me,” it pointed out. “As you said, she’s intelligent, and your two species bear a striking similarity. It should be obvious who the arousing party would be.”
“Curious,” said Krai as he rubbed his chin. “I wonder if sitting in my lap was suggestive to her or something. She sure didn’t seem like she wanted to stay.”
A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance Page 36
