The fish leaped from the water, hanging in midair for a moment in a perfect arc, huge fin gleaming in the sun and then dropped into the waves with a splash. “And I’m not sorry,” she said defiantly, heart warmed by the sight.
“I like your kind heart,” Trey said, giving her a side hug and a kiss on the tip of the nose..
“Where are we going now?” she asked as the anchor clanged into its receptacle and the boat moved east at a good pace.
“This day is a combination of fishing and scuba diving,” he said, pointing at the equipment the hard working crew was now laying out.
She was a bit surprised and disappointed he’d leave her on the boat while he went diving but she had her book. “I’ll be reading, no problem.”
“I know you don’t swim,” he said with a frown. “I’m not about to abandon you to amuse myself diving. I’ve arranged something else for you and me. A tender will be picking us up at the diving site and taking us to our next activity.”
Rosalie was curious about what he had in mind but Trey refused to provide any hints. Soon they were anchored at the prime diving area and she watched his friends and their dates gear up and slip into the ocean. She couldn’t imagine being completely immersed in the water, which sounded like one of her worst nightmares in fact. An antigrav tender arrived and she and Trey thanked the captain of the fishing boat for an excellent cruise and transferred to the new vessel. Rosalie had an anxious moment while she was stepping between the two craft but the prince held her hand tight and she was in no danger of plunging into the ocean.
“I’d rescue you if you fell in,” he whispered while he held her for a brief embrace before setting her safely on the deck of their new conveyance. “I’ll never let you be hurt or in danger.”
Rosalie and Trey took their seats in the passenger area and the captain engaged the throttle and the antigrav, skimming above the waves at a high speed. Rosalie tried to keep her hair from blowing in her face and found she was enjoying the ride more than she’d expected. “What’s the plan for the girls?” she asked, voicing a question which had been bothering her..
Trey blinked. “Plan?”
“For all the women who find matches this week. I mean your government must have expected a pretty high rate of success as much effort as they’ve gone to and as many million credits as this all must be costing.”
He studied her face before answering her. “The goal was 25% matches, plus an unquantified number of strong attachments which might convert into matches over time.”
“I’m surprised it’s so low, with IDA’s algorithms. But then what’s the plan for the next steps? Surely you don’t expect that many Sectors citizens to enter your society without any problem? How is your government going to incorporate them into daily life? Teach them about the culture and the language? Help them find jobs or continue the careers they have if possible? Connect them to each other for support while dealing with all the new challenges? Manage expectations on the part of the women—and the men when the other program ramps up—and your own people?” Mouth falling open she blinked in disbelief. “Don’t tell me there is no plan.”
“I’m embarrassed to admit little to no thought has been given to the implementation aspect of the situation,” he said slowly. Sure he’d been worrying about some of the same issues earlier in the day but only as regarding Rosalie herself and her potential entry into the royal family. Now she’d forced him to broaden his scope through her pointed questions, he understood how shortsighted Ardanna had been.
“I mean, this is all doomed to fail if there isn’t a structure for maintaining whatever success the dating brings,” she persisted. Cheeks reddening, she added, “And I’m not asking for myself, I know we agreed this was a one-week fling for us, but I hate to think of all the women who will go on to Ardanna and get hit in the face with cold reality. Love is all important of course but then the couple has to live in the real world. I mean, take your friends. Corilly is a doctor. Is she going be able to get licensed to practice on Ardanna? Will Ardannans come to her for care? Would she specialize in the human population? Or Sannami—she’s a lawyer, really high powered from what I gather. How is she going to practice law on your planet? Now Finnara is an artist so she can probably keep working remotely but even so she’d need help establishing her distribution network on Ardanna.”
“I take your point,” Trey said. ”We’re looking at a high failure rate in the near future, aren’t we?”
“I’d say so. Individual success stories for sure but a lot of broken hearts and broken dreams too, ensuring bad press for Ardanna and its hopes to become more fully a member of the Sectors fast.”
The boat was slowing as they approached an island surrounded by reefs.
“I think we’ve arrived,” Trey said. “I promise to think about everything you’ve said and I thank you for speaking your mind on the subject.”
“I got on a soap box as we say on Earth,” she replied, flashing her dimples. “So where are we exactly?”
“This is one of the best examples of coral reefs on the planet,” Trey said. “You’ll be able to see the full range of aquatic life without ever getting wet. But first we need to transfer to another boat. This is the last time I promise.”
Sure enough, another small boat was speeding toward them and shortly Rosalie was making the transfer from the tender to the new ride. She was marginally less anxious this time. After welcoming them aboard, the captain of the new, much smaller boat led them to a special seating area. “When we get over the big reef, the floor will go invisible,” he said, pointing at the deck. “It also magnifies so you’ll be able to see every detail of the incredibly complex ecosystem here and all the inhabitants of the reef.”
Rosalie was enchanted as they drifted slowly over the site with the captain giving the throttle an occasional small boost to keep them over the best portion of the reef for viewing. The fish and other ocean dwellers were wildly colorful, some swimming in schools that turned and swerved in unison and others cruising alone. There were huge stands of aquatic floral plants, waving their fronds gently in the current here in this protected space. At one point the captain told them to watch for an eel, which did indeed emerge suddenly from its lair, snagging an unfortunate green spotted fish and dragging it back to become dinner. Their boat hovered over a clifflike segment of the reef where cephalopods lived in a colony and she exclaimed at the way the animals moved and camouflaged themselves so as to be nearly undetectable.
As the captain repositioned the boat over a more populated area, Trey touched her hand and pointed. “That’s what stung you, one of those.”
She couldn’t believe her eyes. The fish was nearly translucent, with a lavender body and long trailing fins and tentacles, which were a darker purple. The body was heavily spotted which she could see would serve to disguise it in the ocean’s shadows. As it moved through the coral in a leisurely fashion, it moved its fins with grace. “It’s too beautiful to be deadly,” she protested, rubbing a hand over her bare leg as she remembered the blinding pain she’d experienced.
“Be glad it’s down there and we’re up here. So are you enjoying my surprise?” he asked.
She turned to him her face glowing with happiness. “This is perfect! I didn’t expect to see a wonder like this myself since I don’t swim. I wish I could do something extra special for you now.”
“Your pleasure in the expedition is enough. And I’ll never forget your songs last night,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the palm. “You’re a special person, Rosalie Lenox. I’m glad we met.”
* * *
Once they were back on shore, heading for the bungalow, their antigrav container following like a small pet, Rosalie asked, “What’s planned for dinner tonight?”
