"You can't," said Tausson, sounding like the commander he once was.

"Why not?"

"There's no guarantee that we'll be paired," he said.

"Then I'll say no thanks. You said yourself that they won't force any of the women."

Now Tausson began to pace. "But if you say no to your assigned pairing, you're removed from the Asteroid Mate pool and can never become one."

"Then I will have at the very least bought us some time to come up with another plan."

He stopped by the porthole and stared out. Jupiter was only a small white dot now, alone in the sea of black space.

"But it's not what either of us wants," he said.

Tierney forced a smile. "It's compromise. Politics is all about compromise -- or at least it's supposed to be. You and Carterra, Lutari and Inlan -- you get to hang out all the time outside of the pairing, and no one thinks it's strange because you're mates. That could be us."

"I don't want to pair with you," he said, his back still to her. "I want to make love to you. I want to touch you, to kiss you."

"That's not possible for us right now. Can't you see that?" Frustration sharpened her words. "And no amount of empty promises from you is going to change that."

He stiffened, and Tierney regretted her harsh tone. Moving closer to him, but still out of arm's length, she said, "I'm sorry. This is hard on both of us, I know. But it's not in me to just sit idly by while you risk everything. We can solve this problem together, but we both have to bend a little bit."

He turned to face her, and she felt that hot charge of electricity that always ran through her when their eyes met. She couldn't help but glance at the bed, and when she looked back at him, he was smiling softly.

"What?" she asked, her heart racing.

"When I first saw images of the human form, my first thought was how weak you all are." His smile faded into an awed expression that made Tierney's cheeks burn. "You're so much stronger than I imagined."

With a shrug, she said, "I'm just good at solving prob--"

He closed the space between them in one step and sealed her mouth with his own. His body pressed against hers, and she pushed into him, leaving not a breath of air between them. Hot, tingling pleasure swelled inside her as she ran her hands up his steel body and through his slate gray hair.

Gently he pulled away, leaving his gloved hands on her face. His expression was so intense, so hungry, it made Tierney tremble.

"What about Aspri?" she asked breathlessly.

He didn't answer, just stared at her lips, his eyes alive with the same struggle that Tierney was battling.

"Tausson," she whispered.

A slow smile crept into his eyes. "I'll tell him I was dreaming," he said, but his expression quickly turned somber. "If you do become my Asteroid Mate, we'll have to hide how we feel about each other. Like you said, it's common for mates to spend time together when they're on the same vessel, but if anyone suspects that there's more than just friendship between us, I could be dismissed from the Squad, and you would be marked as a malign influence."

Tierney almost made a quip about his being a bad influence on her, but the way he said it made it clear there was more to the term than she knew. "What does that mean? What would happen if I were?"

"Asteroid Mates agree to become citizens of Relica during their pairing cycle, and therefore subject to our laws."

That I did not know.

But it didn't make a difference. She would do it, if it meant being with Tausson.

A shadow passed over his eyes, and he said, "Anyone deemed to be a malign influence is exiled, never to return to Relica -- or their home world -- again."

A shudder ran through her at the thought of never seeing Clem or her parents again. But she took a breath and forced another smile and said, "Well, we'll just have to make sure no one suspects anything."

They risked one more quick goodbye kiss, and just as he was about to leave, she asked, "Tausson, what happens if the pairing isn't successful? I mean, if we don't have any children?"

He looked as if the possibility had never occurred to him. "Humans and Relicans are compatible," he said.

"I know, but what if for some reason it doesn't work? Would that be bad?"

His eyes searched hers, and she feared he could read the truth in them. But then he smiled and said, "I've seeded twenty-three offspring. There's no cause for worry."

"Twenty-three!"

"Does that bother you?" he asked, his face tight with concern.

Tierney wasn't sure what to say. "I guess not. It's just... a lot of kids."

Pride lit his eyes. "I'm ready to make more, with you." After one last kiss, he left.

Tierney stared at the closed door, wishing he'd answered her question.

* * *

The bar across the metal rotating cylinder had been almost completely emerald green when she fell asleep, and was just about halfway between a glittering sky blue and garnet red when she awoke. Of course, knowing that the device was a clock wouldn't be useful until she knew how to read it. She called the command center.

"Squad, Miss Dawson?" asked the translator. She heard a Relican voice in the background, but it didn't sound like Hoff.

"Hi, uh, what time is it? In Earth time?"

"12:30, Miss Dawson."

"Okay. Is Commander Arrat available? I need to talk to her."

"She is currently in her lodge. I will forward your request. One moment."

Tierney pulled some clothes from her suitcase and started to dress while she waited.

"Commander Arrat awaits your arrival, Miss Dawson."

With a quick thank you she ended the call and finished getting ready. On her way to the command center, her mind drifted to the previous night and her conversation with Tausson. While making love with him was rapturous, it had been almost as enjoyable just talking to him. He was usually so stiff and reserved, and it was nice to see him relaxed instead. He'd even laughed a few times, a low, rumbling laugh that made her heart flip.

Tierney was so deep in her daydreams that she didn't realize she was lost until she turned a corner and came to a dead end. At the end of the hall were Aspri and Hoff. They appeared to be in the middle of a heated argument, both muttering in harsh whispers. Both of Aspri's hands were on Hoff's shoulders, close to his neck. As soon as they saw her they stepped away from each other.

"Oh, sorry," she said, backing up. "I'm going to the command center. I guess I got lost."

Aspri was glaring at her fit to kill, but Hoff had already recovered his polite smile. "I'll show you the way," he said.

"You're on your way to lunch," snapped Aspri, rushing over. "I'll bring her. You're dismissed," he added without looking at Hoff as he turned the corner into the main hallway.

"Thanks anyway," she said, giving Hoff a sympathetic smile before chasing after the doctor. Matching his swift pace, she said, "Sorry, again."

Aspri didn't so much as glance in her direction.

Trying to sound casual, she asked, "How involved are you with the Asteroid Mate selection process?"

"Very," he said, staring ahead.

"Control actually makes the pairing selections though, right? Meaning, who goes with whom?"

She was worried he was going to ask her why she wanted to know -- she wanted to talk to the commander first and get her input -- but the doctor just said, "Yes, although as the Senior Medic on site, I make recommendations, and those recommendations are often followed."

Aha.

Aspri held the key to her future. Now she just needed to get him on her side...

"Is Hoff really as nice as he seems?" she asked, testing the waters. "Usually guys that nice are trying to hide something."

Shooting her a withering look, he said, "The Communications Officer has nothing to hide from you."

From her visit with Nelle the previous day, Tierney had seen the Senior Medic treating nearly everyone around him -- Relican and human alike -- with the same level of contempt. Hoff seemed to be the only person he was cordial with, so she didn't take offense at his manner.

"Wow," she said, nodding politely at some other Relicans passing by. "Nice, handsome, built like a brick house -- I guess he really is the perfect guy. If he were human, he'd have been married to some lucky gal a long time ago. Or guy. Did you know that men can marry men in the United States? Women can marry women too, of course."

Aspri abruptly stopped walking and locked his eyes on hers. Tierney hadn't noticed the golden flecks in his brown eyes before, but it was the fear in them that was most startling to her now. "Why are you telling me this?" he demanded.

Fighting to keep up her innocent facade, she said, "I was just curious if you were aware of it. Not too long ago on Earth being gay was perceived as a mental disorder, but now -- in most countries, anyway -- it's a perfectly acceptable way of life."

He searched her face, and she thought she saw a flicker of hope in his eyes, but it was instantly hidden, locked behind his veil of anger and condescension. With a huff he resumed his rapid pace, leading her to the command center in silence.

* * *

For the main hub of the ship, the command center wasn't very large -- maybe a third of the size of the Oval Office. Typically only the command crew were allowed inside, which may have explained the cold reception she received when she knocked on the door.

Planetary Officer Elic, a tall woman with narrow shoulders and far less bulk than most of the female Relicans, answered.

"Hi," said Tierney, her smile faltering under Elic's unwelcoming gaze. "I'm here to see the commander."

"Ah, Miss Dawson," said a voice from inside. "Enter."

Elic moved aside and returned to her post, leaving the door open. Stepping through, Tierney found herself on the upper level of the command center: a wide walkway that spanned the back half of the circular room and housed the Planetary, Protection, Communications, and Trajectory stations.

Rasmus, who had invited her in, sat in the commander's chair on the lower level, in the center of the room. In front of him, on the wall-sized sightscreen, was a fleet of Relican vessels, all of which surrounded an enormous black sphere.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, spinning the chair around to grin at her.

She hardly heard him, awestruck as she was by the scene before her. When Tierney had pictured the ship that would carry humanity across the galaxy, she'd more or less pictured a smaller version of her own planet. It made sense, because the Relicans had gone to great lengths to make her race feel at home on the massive, moon-sized vessel they'd be stuck on for the next six months. She'd visited the cart before Earth's evacuation, and had been impressed by how real everything seemed: there were fake trees, a layer of topsoil, even weather patterns and a pretend sun to course through the sky.

But that was inside. From the outside, the cart looked nothing like Earth. The giant sphere, its surface covered by wide, corrugated ridges, looked so different from what Tierney was used to seeing floating in space, that she had the absurd thought that it was going to fall. Of course, there was nowhere for it to fall to -- with them being in the middle of space and all -- but without any visible evidence of propulsion by either the cart or any of the ships surrounding it, she couldn't shake her trepidation. Her sister and parents were down there. Every human parent and every human child was down there. All of their lives were hanging in the balance, suspended in deep space, with nothing to protect them but a giant machine made by aliens.

"Quite a sight, isn't she?" asked Undir, the Trajectory Officer. He was silver, and spoke the same language as the rest of the Squad, but with an accent -- sharper consonants and flatter vowels. She'd noticed Lutari speaking like that too, although it wasn't as pronounced. His accent, coupled with his shorter height and lankier build -- although still pretty muscular and at least six inches taller than her -- made her wonder if he was from a different part of Relica than most of the Squad.

"It took nine years and three thousand Relicans to build," he said, gazing at the cart in obvious admiration. "Every time we encounter a new relocation species, I get to tinker with it again." With faint lines around his eyes and mouth, he looked older than Tausson, maybe mid- to late-thirties, but his manner was far more relaxed than most of the Relicans she'd encountered.

"How does it move?" asked Tierney. "Are the ships pulling it? I don't see any tow lines."

Someone -- she wasn't sure if it was Rasmus or Elic, since the Planetary Officer was below talking to him -- gave a sharp sound of dismissal, and Tierney realized how silly her last comment was. Obviously the Relicans were more advanced than ropes and cables.

"Sorry," she said, heat flooding her cheeks. "That was a dumb question."

But Undir shook his head and, with his eyes on the two below, raised his voice and said, "If anyone here would like to give a detailed description on the practical application of gravibration theory, I'll gladly give them my finest bottle of syrup brandy."

Elic ignored the Trajectory Officer altogether, but Rasmus scoffed and said, "I'll take the hard bite of diamond wine over your Softlander syrup any day."

"You Hardlanders wouldn't know a good bottle if it grew up under your feet," said Undir with a smile and a shake of his head. Turning back to Tierney, he said, "The cart can move on its own with controlled bursts of the release chamber, but with so many people on board, its safest to tow. We use pulses of energy that are beyond the visible light spectrum and don't break through the outer shell of the cart."

"Oh, okay," said Tierney, still feeling stupid despite Undir's attempt to make her feel better. Looking around at the four other doors leading off of the room, she asked, "Which is the commander's lodge? We have an appointment."

He pointed to the one at the front left, and, with a quick thank you, Tierney quickly stepped down and found the commander inside.

The commander's lodge wasn't much bigger than Tierney's own room. Carterra sat behind a narrow metal desk tucked in the back corner, listening as Tierney informed her of her decision.

"Tausson is no longer commander. He won't be able to select you," she said.

"I know," said Tierney. "It's a chance I'm willing to take." She didn't mention that she would just say no if she was assigned to anyone else, since that was technically against the rules, and the less Commander Arrat knew, the less she could get in trouble for.

The commander leaned back in her chair and nodded her understanding. "Notify the Senior Medic that you wish to be screened for the Asteroid Mate pool. He'll take care of it."

Glancing pointedly at the commander's hands, now resting on her stomach, Tierney asked, "How are you feeling?"

With a slow and sad smile, Commander Arrat said, "I'm close to the end. This is always the easiest and hardest part."

Her wistfulness made her seem older, and Tierney was again reminded of Nelle. Despite their drastically different appearances -- Nelle, with her fair skin and slight figure, and Carterra, black as the space that surrounded them, and rivaling Tausson for bulk -- they both shared a wisdom that transcended their years.

"How many children have you had?" she asked.

"She will be number ten."

"Ten?! How is that even possible?"

The commander didn't answer, just gave an enigmatic smile as she stood and walked around her desk.

Tierney remembered what Tausson had told her last night, about how Relican children weren't raised by their parents but in group homes with dedicated caretakers. "Do you ever see any of them?" she asked.

"No," she said softly, her smile disappearing. "That would be impractical."

"With ten kids, maybe, especially by yourself. There are some big families like that on Earth -- the cart, I mean. I never understood it, but the parents were usually always quick to say how nice --"

"Don't."

Commander Arrat's harsh reprimand startled Tierney into silence, but more shocking were the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Blinking them back, she said, "Don't do that."

Tierney nodded, and the commander started to open her door, but then paused and said, "I'm leaving for Relica in eight days for the birthing. When I'm gone, Rasmus will become commander of the Irral."

Tierney groaned, unable to hide her disgust.

"I know he's difficult," said the commander, "but he's intelligent, experienced, and will make a strong commander."

Trying to recover from her gaffe, Tierney said, "Sorry. I was just looking forward to working with you more." Giving another glance at Carterra's stomach, she added, "I hope everything goes smoothly for you."

The commander's grave expression told Tierney she was missing something. Losing her fake smile, she asked, "What does that mean, exactly?"

"As commander of the vessel of first contact, Rasmus will have the right to select his Asteroid Mate." Her eyes, the brightest part of her face, darkened as she added, "I think we both know who he'll choose."

The memory of Rasmus in her bedroom, and the lust in his eyes, made Tierney's knees weak. She reached out and supported herself against the steel wall.

"Me," she whispered. "He'll pick me."