Kahm

by T. J. Quinn

  He had no interest in a female from his own species. He had never felt attracted to them, probably because they weren’t very feminine. Like the males, they were formidable warriors and looked similar as well.

  “I’m only interested in human females.”

  The woman nodded. “Can you give me a few more details to narrow down the search? Right now, we have hundreds of thousands human profiles. They are eager to escape their destroyed planet,” she explained.

  “I don’t know much about human females,” he admitted.

  “Well, this species has a wide variety of specimens,” she informed him, in a smooth tone.

  Kahm wasn’t very sure he liked the way she referred to the other women, but if he wanted to do this, he would have to put up with her condescending attitude.

  “Tell me about them.”

  Smiling, she started showing him an example of every race on the planet, from the tiny Asians to the tall Caucasian women from the coldest areas of the planet, not forgetting those with a darker tone of skin.

  He discarded the Asian women and those from the north and concentrated on a group of women called Latinas. Their luscious bodies and amazing manes stirred something inside him, and he decided to focus on that group.

  “Well, that narrows down our search a lot. The Latin-American countries were devastated by the wars, and there are only a few hundred thousand people scattered all over their continent,” the woman explained.

  “I see.” He really didn’t care much about what she was saying. He just wanted to choose a woman and get the hell out of there.

  She typed a few words on the screen and pulled it up. “There are a couple of thousand women registered in our database. Take your time to scroll through them. I’ll be back when you’re ready to make a selection.”

  He nodded and with a sigh, he started scrolling through the images on the screen. Most of the women were glamorous and beautiful, but they all looked like plastic dolls. Not the kind of women he wanted to spend his life with.

  He was about to give up when the next picture showed up on the screen. The picture quality was terrible and seemed to be somewhat out of focus. The woman hadn’t done anything to enhance her features. She had her dark hair tied in a simple braid and was wearing some sort of green outfit that didn’t do much to improve her appearance.

  Despite all that, something in her made him stare at her for a lot longer than he had looked at all of the other pictures. The profile stated her name was Selena, that she was twenty-four solar cycles old and that she was a nurse.

  Unsure why her profile had caught his attention, he continued his search, but after a while, he returned to her profile once more. For some reason he couldn’t explain, not even to himself, he wanted her.

  The price of her dowry was quite low, which made him wonder the reason, but it didn’t change his decision. If he was getting married, then, he wanted that woman to be his wife.

  The Cetian woman seemed to guess he had made his choice, because she entered the room with a broad smile.

  “Tell me, have you found one that interests you?” she asked, sitting in her chair.

  “Yes, I want her,” he informed her, pointing at the woman’s profile, still up on the screen.

  Still smiling, the woman looked at the screen, and her smile disappeared, “Are you sure you’ve seen all we have to offer? A man like yourself shouldn’t even consider this kind of profiles. It was my fault for not filtering them, but I assure you, we have far more interesting… ”

  “You don’t seem to understand, citizen Nadir,” he interrupted her. “I’ve made my decision, and I want her. Is there a problem with that?” he asked in a cold tone.

  The woman was apparently flustered. “No, of course not. It’s just that she belongs to the lowest rank of women in our lists,” she explained, wriggling her three-fingered hands.

  “Why is that? How do you classify them?” he asked, crossing his bulky arms over his broad chest.

  “Mainly by their economic situation,” she replied. “That usually implies a lower education level and even worse background,” she added.

  “Well, none of it matters to me. I want her,” Kahm stated, in a firm tone.

  “Are you sure? Perhaps, if you allow me to show you a few of our best profiles, you would change your mind,” she insisted.

  He snorted, tired of her persistence. “I figure you keep a percentage of the women’s dowries, right?”

  The woman was distraught, but she nodded. “Yes, we charge thirty percent of it,” she admitted.

  “How much is your highest dowry?”

  She mumbled an amount, and he nodded.

  “I’ll pay you the highest dowry, for her, on the understanding, of course, that you’ll ensure that her family gets their required share. You’ll get an extra bonus for getting me the woman I want,” he said, taking his card from his pocket and putting it in front of her. “Your bonus will be the same amount as the dowry,” he added when he saw her hesitate.

  She looked at him, startled. “Are you sure?”

  Perhaps, he would regret his decision, but something deep down, in his very core, assured him he wouldn’t. She was the woman for him.

  “Yes, just do it.”

  She nodded and picked up the card from her desk. A few minutes later, the transactions had been made, and Kahm was informed his wife would arrive in less than fifteen rotations. The eighth quadrant was a fair distance from his side of the universe.

  “Would you like us to send a picture of you with your request?” the woman asked when they finished the paperwork.

  Kahm considered her question and slowly shook his head. Arghearians weren’t the most attractive species around. They had too much of everything: too tall, too muscled, too strong, and too big. Even the golden hair falling down his back was too long, not to mention the black, sharp horns adorning his forehead. He could scare her off, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  “No, I rather not.”

  “As you wish. Your bride is not entitled to demand anything of you so there won’t be a problem there,” Nadir assured him.

  “Very well. When will I get an answer from you?”

  “Soon, in a couple of rotations, tops. She won’t reject you, I’m sure.”

  “Don’t ruin this for me,” he warned the woman, as he got up.

  “No, sir, of course not. I’ll see to it myself,” she assured him.

  He nodded and left the agency. He had parked his vehicle right outside, and a few seconds later, he was on his way back home.

  His communication device buzzed in his pocket. Sure it was Raye, he pulled it out and connected it to the vehicle’s media system.

  “Tell me you did it,” his friend asked, looking excited.

  “Hello, Raye, how are you?” he greeted his friend, ignoring his rude question.

  “Don’t you ‘hello’ me! You better come over for dinner. We want to hear all the details,” his friend demanded.

  “I’m sure that can wait for tomorrow. I have a long way back home, and I’ll be tired by the time I get there.”

  “Oh, come on. We both know it takes a lot more than a small trip to tire you. Melanie will prepare your favorite dessert, so don’t you dare let her down,” Raye threatened him. “She’s somewhat moody now that she expecting my child.” The pride and joy in his friend’s voice were so bright, Kahm couldn’t help smiling.

  “Very well, I guess I can make a small sacrifice, for the sake of your wife’s feelings.”

  “I knew you would understand. I’ll see you soon.”

  Kahm ended the call and changed course to his friend’s farm. Unlike him, Raye grew all sorts of vegetables, and his farm was even bigger than Kahm’s. It was always a pleasure visiting him, especially ever since he had gotten married. Melanie, his wife, was a terrific cook and he had to admit he loved her food.

  If she hadn't been married to one of his best friends, he would have considered stealing her away from him.

&
nbsp; Chapter Three

  Selena sighed as she signed her last patient’s medical files before she called it a day. It had been a hard day, with several patients coming to the emergency room after a damaged building collapsed, killing a few people and injuring a several more.

  It was maddening and highly frustrating to work with barely the essential medical supplies and very little medicines, and she knew it wouldn’t get any better, at least, not anytime soon. The hospital’s director asked his staff to save as much as possible of the few resources they had since they had been told there was hardly anything left.

  “Nurse Martinez, please approach the reception desk. There’s a message for you there,” one of the doctors warned her, as he walked by her.

  “Thank you, Dr. Suarez. I’ll see you in the morning,” she replied with a faint smile. The man nodded and with another sigh, she walked towards the reception. “Hi, Maria, I was told you had a message for me,” she said to the older woman sitting behind the desk.

  “Yes, querida, I have it here,” she handed her an envelope. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be leaving so soon,” the woman complained, having recognized the envelope.

  Selena doubted the meaning behind Maria’s words before she took the envelope from the other woman’s hand. She hadn't expected an answer so fast. After all, she had been to the office only a couple of days ago.

  “I wish I could stay longer, only things are getting worse, and you know that,” she replied, with a sad tone, putting the envelope in her pocket with shaky hands.

  The woman nodded. “I know girl, I know. I wish I could do the same, but who would want an old woman like me?” she said, with a self-deprecating grin.

  “You can’t know that for sure, Maria. It’s a vast universe.”

  The woman shook her head. “I’m too old for that kind of adventures,” she admitted. “Besides, I can’t even afford the cheapest fee. All of my money is spent on food.”

  “I know what you mean, it took me a while to save the money to pay the lowest fee,” Selena admitted.

  “I hope you get a good dowry, girl, your parents will need it once you’re gone,” the woman said, sighing.

  “I know. We’ll see.” She took a deep breath. “I better get going, my father worries when I’m late.”

  She walked all the way home feeling as if she was carrying a ticking time bomb. She had to make a considerable effort not to open the envelope the minute she left the hospital, but she needed the privacy of her room for that task. She wouldn’t tell her parents anything until she was sure she could accept the man bidding for her.

  She wondered if he had sent her a picture, but she knew she was hoping for too much. The man at the agency at told her she would only see him once she got to wherever he lived.

  Her mother was finishing dinner when she got home, and though she wanted to go upstairs to her room to finally open the letter, she forced herself to stay in the kitchen and help her set the table.

  Her father was watering the few vegetables they had in the garden.

  Dinner seemed to last an eternity and when Selena finally closed the door to her room behind her back. She was so anxious, her whole body trembled.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Selena sat on her bed and took the envelope out of her pocket.

  The message was brief. Mail Order Bride had found a match for her on a planet called Sumirion. The place had a very low demographic density, and he was requesting a wife to provide him with companionship.

  Considering the planet was quite far from Earth, he was willing to pay her family the highest dowry to compensate any problems that might cause. When Selena took a look at the amount her parents would receive, she nearly hyperventilated. She had never seen a number with that many zeros in it. Her parents would be protected for a long time with that amount of money.

  There wasn’t much information on the man, but she knew she couldn’t ask for more than they had given her. She would have to make her decision based on the little detail they had given her and the fact he was willing to pay such an amount of money to have her as his wife.

  That fact, by itself, was somewhat suspicious. Why would he offer to pay a lot more than what was established for the fee she had paid? That could only mean he was sure she wouldn’t find him an acceptable candidate and he was literally paying her to marry him.

  She sighed, rubbing her pounding forehead. There was no way she could say no. She would never get an offer like that one again, she was sure of it, and the whole purpose of putting herself in such a situation was to give her parents a better life.

  A gentle knock on her door startled her, and she quickly hid the letter under her pillow, before she invited her mother in.

  “What’s going on, Selena? You’ve been too restless all night?” the woman asked, as she took a seat on the bed, next to her daughter. “Did you get an answer from the agency?”

  Selena sighed. Her mother knew her too well, that was for sure. She pulled the letter from underneath the pillow and handed it to her.

  Her mother let out a small cry of astonishment. “How were you able to afford the highest fee?” her mother asked, shocked.

  “I wasn’t. I paid the lowest one, but if you read the message you will understand why you would be paid such an amount,” she explained to her mother.

  “This sounds fishy, what if he’s some kind of monster? What do we know about him or about this planet they mention?” her mother asked, apparently concerned with the man’s generosity.

  They had been through so much already that they didn’t trust easily. “I’m sure the agency investigates their clients thoroughly. Otherwise, no one would ever use their service.”

  Her mother let out a deep sigh, running her shaky fingers through her graying hair. “You’re considering this offer.”

  It wasn’t a question, but Selena answered it anyway. “Yes, I am. I’ll never get a better offer, mamá. And if he’s this generous with the dowry, he’ll probably be more open to the possibility of removing you guys from this hell.”

  “You can’t know that for sure,” her mother grumbled.

  “No, I can’t,” she accepted. “Either way, with the money he’s offering you would be able to live a decent life for a long time.”

  Her mother shook her head. “You can’t do this thinking of us, Selena. This is your life we’re talking about. You’ll be the one who will have to put up with this guy, whoever he is,” there was a hint of desperation in her tone and Selena hugged her. “I want you to be happy, to find a love like the one I found when I met your father.”

  “Mamá, you know that’s just wishful thinking, this world is quite far from the one you knew when you were younger,” she said, trying to comfort her.

  “It’s not fair. This whole situation is so unfair it makes me want to scream from the top of my lungs,” her mother cried out.

  “I know mamá, but it’s useless to think like that, and you know that. I’m sure I’ll be alright, and the minute I get there, I’ll find a way to send you a message and let you know how everything is.”

  “You’ve made up your mind?”

  “Yes, this is the best offer I’ll ever have, mamá. I would be foolish if I said no.”

  She had made her decision at that precise moment. She wanted to give her mother a better place to live, and this was the only way she would ever be able to achieve that. Sure, she would be the only one marrying the guy, but she was sure there were worse alternatives.

  “When do you have to leave?” her father’s voice startled them. He was at the door, leaning against the frame.

  “According to the letter, in a couple of days. Apparently, he’s in a hurry to get a wife, and his planet is quite far from here,” she explained, with a sigh.

  “Are you sure you’re making the right decision?” her father asked her, with a stern tone.

  “Yes, I am. I won’t get a better offer, that’s for sure, papá.”

  He nodded. “We just want you to be happy and safe, not
to sacrifice yourself for us.”

  She got up and closed the distance between them. “I know that papá, as well as you know this is the only way to get a chance of getting that,” she reminded him.

  He hugged her and sighed. “Yes, I know, we just wished things were different.”

  “Me too, papá, me too,” she assured him.

  The following couple of days were quite chaotic for Selena. Quitting her job, signing all the required papers and preparing her baggage took a lot more time than she had thought possible. Deciding what to take and what to leave behind proved to be a challenge in itself, but she finally managed to finish packing.

  Her wedding day, if you could call the cold ceremony of signing wedding papers. It was nothing like what she had dreamed. An office clerk from the agency and a couple of witnesses for both parties were summoned to the agency. Selena signed the marriage certificate, after the man’s quick speech on marriage and how important it was to preserve the base of any civilized society.

  It was an awkward event, but she guessed she couldn’t expect much more from a cold marriage like the one she had signed for.

  Anabella left one day before she was scheduled to depart and Selena was able to say goodbye to her and give her the coordinates of what should become her new home.

  “Promise me you’ll get in touch with me as soon as possible,” her friend asked her, as she hugged her.

  “I will, I promise. Just concentrate on being happy with your new husband. Don’t look back, you’re not leaving anything behind worth missing.”

  She nodded, and they chatted for as long as possible before her friend left.

  The day of her departure finally arrived. Saying goodbye to her parents was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life, but it comforted her that she was leaving them as protected as possible.

  Selena took a plane from her hometown to the country’s capital, Buenos Aires. There, she was notified she was to wait for the spaceship that would come pick her and a few other women up. It wasn’t a surprise to find Mariana in the same group. They were both happy to see a familiar face, and they vowed to stay together as much as possible.