Collected (Selected Book 1)

by Robin Roseau

  My mouth dropped open, but then slowly I closed it.

  "I will nurture you. I will cherish you. I will love you, and help you to love me. We will have a variety of choices of where we may live, and we would agree together. It may not be your old home, but you could stay here, on Earth."

  I started to cry, and she reached up and wiped my tears away, then gave me a moment to pull myself together.

  "Our biology is not perfectly attuned," she said finally. "But the changes required to your body are gentle, far less extreme than with most other species. My species is of a single gender, but it requires two for life. The life is formed by both, carried briefly by one, but then transferred to the other. I would want you to carry the first, but I would let you choose which of us carries the second."

  I looked down at our hands, still saying nothing.

  "We would nurture and raise our young together, but I heard what you said about this, and you will have the adult stimulation you desire."

  "I meant a career, you know," I said quietly.

  "I thought as much. You would have your career, Sapphire." She paused. "I don't know what else to offer. If there is anything you want, you need only ask. If it is within my power to offer, I will do so."

  I stared at her hands, resting over mine. I wasn't expecting this, and I certainly wasn't expecting everything she said. I looked up.

  "Will you listen to my full answer?"

  "Of course."

  "If you had come to me with this offer two weeks ago, before all of this, I would have jumped at the chance. Well, with adjustments for a difference in the situation. But too much has happened."

  She lowered her eyes. "Your answer is 'no'."

  "Will you listen to a counteroffer?"

  "Yes." She looked back up, and I stared into her eyes for a moment.

  "When this is over, if I am free to return home, and you give me a little time to heal emotionally, I would allow you to court me. Until I was willing to exchange lasting promises, I would not require you to resign your position here, although I would be pleased if you did so anyway."

  "Court you?"

  "It is the human way."

  Her gaze again fell, and I was sure I was reading disappointment. "I do not believe you will be free to accept my attention. Please reconsider. You would be happy with me."

  "I cannot. Do we have time for me to explain?"

  "Of course." But she didn't look up.

  "It is simple. First, Jasmine, I am angry. I can't begin to tell you how angry I am. And I am scared. But most, I am angry. I am angry at all of you, especially you, but at everyone involved."

  "I understand."

  "I cannot make a decision like that when so filled with anger. Next, if I accept your offer, then I am telling you that what you have done to me is okay. That I accept not only the offer, but the manner in which I was given so few choices."

  "That is not what you are doing."

  "It is to me. And I do not accept what has happened."

  She didn't answer.

  "Will you look at me while I explain the most important reason?"

  She looked up, but she didn't smile.

  "If I accept your offer, it is while I am being coerced to accept. We would spend our entire lives unsure if the only reason I accepted was to avoid what would otherwise happen. We both deserve to never have that type of doubt."

  "Even the slave trader who helped to put you into this position."

  "If she's worthy of my accepting in the first place, then she's worthy of having no doubts. And if she's not worthy of my acceptance, then I certainly couldn't accept and will take my chances here today."

  "I understand. Thank you for listening, and thank you for explaining."

  "I intend to fight to my death," I said. "You offer me a choice of being your slave or of living my life being repeatedly raped by one of these males. Maybe the rapists in this arena can overpower me without killing me, but eventually one of us is going to die. I hope you're proud of yourself for what you are doing."

  Without a word, she began to turn away. But then she turned back to me. "Your happiness is important to me."

  "It shows."

  "Are you considering the ribbon?"

  "Are you thinking of adding yourself to the circle of challengers?"

  "No. That would not be my way. This is my way. Are you considering the ribbon?"

  "I don't see anyone I'd give it to."

  "Perhaps you should take a walk once you are free to do so. I would start immediately behind you."

  "Oh? Is there someone there I can beat in later competitions?"

  "I do not believe you could possibly beat anyone here. You wouldn't even beat me, and this is not my way. But perhaps you will trust my advice. You can always collect a weapon or two on the way back to the circle."

  I nodded.

  "Good luck, Sapphire."

  And then she walked away, sharing no more words for us.

  I looked down for a while, but when I looked up, the last of the aliens was walking away. And two of the pillars were empty. Two women had accepted offers.

  I never met them.

  The last alien disappeared through the exit. It closed tightly behind him. And then a few seconds later, the pillars released our hands.

  Most of the women looked around in confusion. I stared down at my ribbon then snatched it up.

  Several of the women ran off, a few with their ribbons, but the rest to the racks of weapons. I collected the others, pulling them around me.

  "Pull it together," I said. "Do any of you see an alien you could accept? If so, grab your ribbon and go talk to him."

  "How can they do this to us?" One woman asked. She was young, still a teenager. She was dressed in pink pajamas and looked quite cute in them, but exceedingly forlorn. "I'm only seventeen. I'm not even an adult. They took me from home after my parents left for work. How can they do this?"

  "I don't know," I said. "What's your name?"

  "April. April May. My parents have a sense of humor, a bad sense of humor."

  "April, I'm sorry you're in this situation. I'm sorry any of us are. Why didn't you accept one of the gentler offers?"

  She smiled. "I'm on my high school track team."

  I held my hand up, and we high-fived. "You go, girl! But you know, I think the aliens are faster than a human."

  "And the fencing club."

  I laughed. "No pointy weapons."

  "Not true. There's a saber on the rack behind you." She grinned. "I earned a privilege."

  "Well, go get it before someone else does!"

  She nodded and ran off.

  "Ten minutes," a voice called out.

  "Shit. Gotta go. Good luck, ladies." I grabbed my ribbon, and while I didn't quite run, I walked very quickly.

  When I stepped around the cage, I stopped and stared. And stared and stared.

  "You," I whispered.

  It was the alien from my dreams.

  I didn't walk up to her. I stomped up to her. She was everything from my dreams, and then some. She was tall, at least a foot taller than I was, and it was probably closer to eighteen inches. She was broad and muscular.

  But at the same time, she was all woman.

  She was actually wearing less clothing than I was. She had boots on her feet, workout shorts, and a sports bra.

  Her skin tone was bronze, everywhere I could see, and a bronze that didn't necessarily come from the sun. Her hair was tied back, but when I walked around her, I saw it wasn't just on her head. She had what could be called a mane, and her entire back was furry. There was a hint of bare skin in an inverted V just above the shorts, and the hair became razor thin as it proceeded down the backs of her legs. In a way, it resembled the seam of a pair of nylons.

  I moved to stand in front of her, standing not two feet away and looking up at her. She looked down, and I thought I detected interest. Her gaze was intense.

  It was her eyes that were the most different from a human
's. They were one solid color, a deep shade of blue. It was a little uncanny but beautiful at the same time.

  "Do you speak English?"

  She touched her mouth and shook her head, but then she pointed to her ears and nodded.

  "Are you female?" She nodded. "Would you hurt me?" She shook her head emphatically.

  I fingered the ribbon, and her gaze dropped to it. "I have to think. I have to think. I was going to fight. I have to think."

  Unsettled, I moved away. I went from alien to alien, glancing at some of them briefly. Each of them watched me avidly, but I barely paused in front of each of them.

  She wasn't the only female. There were two others. One barely looked at me, but the other looked at me as intently as anyone else.

  "Five minutes."

  I moved more quickly, studying each of the aliens.

  "Four minutes."

  I hurried.

  "Three minutes."

  I came to a stop in front of the woman, the one from my dreams. She was watching me carefully. "I don't understand," I said to her. She made no gesture.

  I looked down at the ribbon. I didn't know what to do. Then I looked up at her. "Do you want this ribbon?"

  She nodded, just twice, but her gaze told me more than the gesture.

  "There's no one here you want more?" She shook. "If I give you this ribbon, there are still more competitions. More challenges." She nodded. "Combat?" She nodded. "How many?"

  She held up three fingers, then four, then five.

  "Three hundred and forty-five?" I asked. I grinned at her. "A few?"

  She nodded.

  "If I give you this ribbon, I'm not surrendering to you. I'm going to fight you. And I'm going to kick your ass, too."

  She considered me for a moment, then she turned partly sideways, bent slightly, and stuck her ass out, inviting me to kick it. Then she waited.

  I didn't kick it. But I stepped closer, and I ran a hand from her neck down her back, stroking the pelt.

  "Soft."

  "One minute."

  I stopped with my hand right at the lowest part of her back, one finger just touching the bare skin there. She quivered, and she turned her head to watch me, but she didn't otherwise move.

  But in that gesture, in the clear humor of sticking her ass out for me, she had won me over. I handed her the ribbon.

  "But I'm still going to kick your ass. Just not today."

  She took the ribbon and then, almost too fast to see, she pulled me to her, crushing me against her chest.

  "Too tight," I gasped. "Too tight."

  She relaxed, just slightly, and I let her hold me there. She buried her face in my own hair and inhaled.

  I got a good whiff of her, too. She smelled... wild, almost. It was a pleasant scent, and subtle. Her skin was smooth, but her muscles tight.

  I didn't resist when she picked me up. I didn't resist when she carried me to one of the cages. I didn't resist when she set me down, very gently, or when she closed the door.

  "Time," said the voice. "All humans return to the center. You have one minute until the competition begins, but the doors do not open until you are all in the center."

  My alien knelt in front of me so our eyes were on a level. She looked at me with clear hunger. I returned her gaze, not shying away.

  "You understand," I said. "What happens here is wrong. But I'm not letting any of them touch me." I looked her up and down. "I'm not letting you touch me, either. Don't hug me again. I'm small, but I'm fierce, and I intend to go home. You're not taking me away to the stars. Am I clear?"

  She nodded, but then she reached through the bars of the cage and caressed my cheek. Her hand was massive, but she was exceedingly gentle. Then she withdrew, stood straight, and turned her back on the cage, guarding the door.

  I didn't know if she was guarding me so I couldn't escape, or guarding me so no one would steal me.

  I looked around, past her, and I saw two more women in cages. There were now seven in the middle, all holding weapons, including April. She wasn't facing me. She was facing one of the exits. Quietly I wished her luck.

  But then several of the aliens left their assigned places, even though the voice hadn't announced the start. The voice spoke harshly, but I didn't understand the words.

  Six of the male aliens stepped around the circle and approached an area near one of the exits. I wondered why there, but then I saw Jasmine seated in the front row. She stood and spoke, and I realized it was her voice that had been reading the time.

  The males came to a stop, and it was clear they were angry. They gestured wildly, and two of them pointed.

  At me.

  "Fuck you!" I screamed. "I made my choice. Live with it, you assholes."

  My alien turned around, patted my shoulder, then turned back.

  "Stop that," I said. "It's not fair your arms are that long. I can't reach you."

  At that, she stepped back, closing some of the distance to the cage. And so I reached through and set my hand on her back. She looked over her shoulder and nodded, then returned her gaze to the men, arguing with Jasmine.

  I didn't understand a word, but it was clear they weren't happy I'd given away a ribbon. I didn't care. They could fuck off.

  Jasmine argued with them. They argued with Jasmine. Then Jasmine turned her gaze towards me, or perhaps my alien. She paused, and then she offered some sort of declaration. I didn't understand a word. My alien stiffened, paused for a moment, then nodded.

  I wondered why she didn't speak, and I wondered why she used such a human gesture. It wasn't even a universal human gesture, as it doesn't mean the same thing in all cultures.

  Jasmine spoke once more, directly to the males before her, and they turned away, returning to their places in the circle.

  "Begin!" Jasmine called out.

  Several things happened at once. All four exits opened. The alien challengers, excepting the three guarding cages, began to move. And from the center, some of the women broke into a run, but others remained in the circle.

  I watched everything, my heart in my throat. It was, as far as I was concerned, entirely barbaric.

  Maybe I should have fought, but I'm sure I wouldn't have won. When I saw what happened, I was sure. I wouldn't have made it near any exit. I certainly wouldn't have done as well as April did.

  There were, after a fashion, two events in one. There were the aliens against the humans, and in that regard, they operated as a cohesive team. Four of them moved to block each exit, requiring sixteen in total, but leaving forty-five to the remainder of the event. And the first sixteen were not to be excluded.

  There was a second event, the aliens competing with each other. And in that regards, it was quite fierce. And there appeared to be alliances amongst the aliens as well.

  The event turned into chaos quickly. The aliens easily blocked the exits, although there seemed to be some rule about how close they could come to the gates. They didn't stand immediately in front of the gates. Instead, they were perhaps twenty paces away and arrayed in an arc.

  I watched April run for one exit, but the aliens were there well ahead of her. She veered away, running hard for the side, but then turned hard left, heading straight for the rightmost of the four guarding her chosen exit. Just before reaching him, she feinted left but instead of dashing right, she lunged, the saber extended well in front of her, and she was aiming low, hoping for a crippling move to his leg, perhaps.

  He moved, responding quickly, and her strike was not true. But I cheered when I saw the saber slice across his leg.

  "Go, April!" I screamed.

  He ignored the wound and pursued April as she straightened from the lunge. She backed away quickly and then made two hopping motions in his direction, offering a high slash towards his arm. He batted the saber away, but she simply dropped the point and lunged again.

  And he caught the blade in one beefy hand, the tip inches from his leg.

  April struggled with him for a moment, then she us
ed two hands and dragged on the blade. Even from here, I knew it had to have sliced his hand deeply. But he reached with his other hand, grabbed her by both wrists and released the blade.

  I saw blood dripping, but he reached forward with his mangled hand and pried the blade from April.

  He was actually gentle about it, from what I could tell.

  Then he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, face forward, still clasping her wrists. He held her in place and carried her, as she kicked and screamed, to one of the cages. He set her inside, steadied her for a moment while she struggled with him, then closed the door on her. Then he turned his back on her.

  April was the only human to score significant damage on any of the aliens, and she got closer to one of the exits than any of the other women.

  Around the arena, some of the aliens were fighting between themselves. I didn't understand that. While they were fighting, the other aliens were catching the women and putting them in the cages. They were losing their opportunities.

  The aliens didn't use weapons against the women. They didn't even use shields. However, a few collected nets and tridents, and they stalked the women. I watched two of them follow one woman -- the businesswoman, who had long shed her heels -- driving her backwards towards one of the cages. She had her own weapon, but she lost it early. And so she sought only to escape, or perhaps to find another weapon, but everywhere she went there was an alien, or a trident, or a net. Together, the two herded her to one of the cages, but it was there at the mouth of the cage that she refused to back any further.

  She screamed at them and even let them thrust at her with the trident, but she kept one hand on the edge of the cage and didn't let them push her into it.

  Finally one stepped forward and reached for her. She beat at him, but he simply picked her up with two hands around her waist, stepped forward, and then set her into the cage. The other closed the door as soon as the first was clear.

  She launched herself at the bars, screaming her hatred. The two set up guard.

  The aliens were good with the nets. I saw two women tangled in nets, but before they could fall, the aliens who had caught them, well, caught them, tangling them more completely in the nets before carrying them to a cage.