I nodded. “But of course. It was quite simple. Xeranos compiled a list of possible packages that aligned with what Mitchell and I wanted, and we simply chose the one that was best.”
He nodded, looking around. “I would have thought Reynolds and Sachuu would have been back by now. Klora too.”
“You didn’t go with them?”
He grimaced. “Our director called about the dead body we found in the garden. The big wigs have decided that as there is no proof Takahashi did it, and the fake lawyer is in the wind somewhere on our planet, probably in my country, so they are grabbing the case away from you. Sorry.”
I shrugged. “If it turns out it was her, they’ll just have to hand it back along with everything they found out. If they really want to do all the work themselves, that’s fine.”
Klora sauntered in, his eyes excited. “Guys! You’ll never guess what?”
“Reynolds got a match,” Peterson said.
“Yes!”
“What? I was joking! No way!”
“Well, I’m not joking. He really got matched, to one of the shuttle pilots.”
“Holy shit balls,” Peterson murmured, looking shocked. “Wait…as his partner I was getting to stay here with him to work. Does his getting matched mean I have to, you know, put my hat in the marriage ring?”
I looked at him, trying to figure out how he would squeeze his hat through such a tiny object.
“But you don’t wear a hat,” Klora told him, and I nodded. This was very true.
“Perhaps he has a hat at home,” I suggested.
Peterson snorted. “For a second there, I forgot you guys were aliens! I meant will I have to see if I am also a match?”
“I do not think so, but the L.T.C. would know for sure,” Klora replied.
“Are you gay? Only our males are in the program.”
“Reynolds is, but no, I’m not.”
“Then they will not ask you to be tested.”
“Yes,” Klora agreed. “They will not because if you are not attracted to males, you cannot be a perfect match to one of our warriors.”
Peterson looked relieved. “That’s right. You guys do a whole genetics and psych profile thing, don’t you? You guys find soul mates.”
“Precisely.” I was glad to have been able to put his mind at rest. “Though I doubt we will see Reynolds for several days now.”
“What? Oh, yeah. Sheesh. I best go call the Director again.” He scurried off to go find a more private location to do just that.
“A pilot. Do you think they will ever find my match?”
I patted Klora’s shoulder. “I am certain they will.”
“I hope he’s as cute as your Mitchell.”
I clapped him on the back. “I don’t think that is possible. No one else comes close to being as cute as my Mitch.”
He rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure.”
A stressed looking Sachuu came into the office, followed by Peterson. “As you’ve no doubt heard, Reynolds was matched to Lieutenant Polmar. This means both he and Polmar are on leave with immediate effect for the next few days.” He looked over at Peterson. “The quartermaster is arranging your quarters here aboard ship so you may move in when ready once he’s notified you.” He handed Peterson a tablet. “This is yours. It’s secure, so once you press your thumb on it, it will read both your print and DNA so no one else can use it.”
“It reads my DNA? Through a screen?” Peterson looked at the piece of tech dubiously.
