Aliena Too

Aliena Too by Piers Anthony Page B

Book: Aliena Too by Piers Anthony Read Free Book Online
Authors: Piers Anthony
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that she wasn’t giving the alien male actual love, just sex. “You’re holding back.”
    â€œHe’s not you!”
    He tried to reason with her, doubting that she would be reasonable. She was capable of throwing a real fit when she got too emotional. He told her that she could love Gloaming in addition to loving Quincy, and that he would try to do the same.
    Bad move. “You have a prospect?” she asked sharply.
    What could he do but tell her? “Aliena.”
    It did not go well. She soon broke off the dialogue and ran from him. All he could do was watch. He should have known better than to even mention Aliena.
    The child Maple went to Lida. Then Aliena spoke to him, and he somehow knew that this was not being translated to the others. “Humans are far more emotional than starfish; it is their strength but also their weakness. They suffer jealousy, which is something we have yet to properly understand. I am with her via the glasses she wears. She is, at base, a reasonable person. I believe she feels guilt for trying to love Gloaming instead of you. It is more complicated than I can fathom. But I think she will adapt.”
    Then Lida and Maple were returning. “Yes, she is accepting the situation. You should encourage her.”
    Lida came to the wall. “Dear—”
    â€œKiss me,” he said, lifting an arm.
    Lida kissed the wall opposite the tip of his limb. “I’ve been giving Gloaming sex. If you want to be with Aliena, you have my leave. It’s only fair.”
    She was coming around. They exchanged parting amenities, and Lida promised to visit again. Then she left. He was relieved, but also saddened. It was ending between them, as it had to. Had he his choice of a perfect world, he would never have left her. But that kind of choice he never had.
    That night when Aliena touched arm-tips with him for sleep, she said one thing. “If you should win the right to breed, I will be amenable.”
    That was immensely reassuring. Now all he needed to do was win the race, somehow beating ten starfish in their own element.
    In the morning Aliena gave him a pleasant arm-tip twinge. “I will not participate in the race, or influence it, but I will be watching it. If you lose, you lose. I will regret that. But remember, your usefulness to the project will not end; this race is merely for maturity and breeding rights, not for anything else. And there is something else you should know: those who do not win will not breed, but they can emulate it. Their association merely will not be fertile. So for you, with your human interest in copulation, this is not necessarily the end. There may be a female who would like your association in this respect. Males and females will be allowed to associate, after the race, in whatever manner they choose.”
    That was interesting. So it was really a fertility race, and they had a way to ensure that only the winners would be fertile. “Thank you. I still hope I can win.”
    She moved away without further comment.
    In a moment he picked up on her remark about copulation. Evidently she, being a starfish, did not have that kind of interest. It was for breeding only. So probably when the two genders of starfish mixed, they would not be looking to copulate. He was disappointed, but it was better, as usual, to be realistic.
    This was the last day before the race. The layout remained as it was, but would change tomorrow. His exploration of it was almost complete. There was an isolated section that might or might not have something worthwhile for him.
    He moved rapidly, but the distance made it take time, because starfish were not swift travelers. The section was barred by an isthmus of plant-overgrown land on which predators roamed: hostile territory. He did not need to fear them today, because they were mostly illusion. But tomorrow, when the starfish participated in emulation, the predator emulations would be all too real. He had

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