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The woman shrugged; her grey-green skin darkened. “Your body is recovering. It is beginning to show. You smell... healthy.”
“Humans have scent senses, too, but we haven’t been using them lately. We were sterilizing our senses so that we smelled like nothing and relied on language for social situations.” She spoke in Hmrain common. She didn’t use English anymore. It was rude to her trainers, medical personnel, and educators.
Nova walked out of the dance studio, and her escorts and monitor flanked her as they walked to her dorm area.
“Where are we going now, guys?”
The green-yellow male on her left said, “Assessment.”
Nova nodded and walked with them. She hoped that she was tired enough for this not to work. She wanted to fly, not be a sex toy.
The examiner checked his notes, checked her again, and looked at the assessor holding her hand. “Anything?”
“Just extreme fatigue. Whatever Theedo sensed, it is gone now.”
Nova kept her emotions numb, but a flicker of triumph came through, and her assessor lifted his head, his eyes swirling silver.
He looked to the examiner. “Check her schedule.”
There was a moment, and the examiner looked at her with narrowed eyes. “She’s a qualified bodyguard, a pilot second class, has a food service certificate, and has just completed as competent in dance. She also has a thick receiver strand in her mind. Theedo was positive that she was companion class. What do we do? There is a standing order for a companion with her frequency, and the delivery vessel is going to depart in a few hours.”
She spoke softly, “Oh, dear. Maybe I will test better after I get some rest.”
The examiner looked at her. “You did this on purpose.”
“Did what?”
“Fatigued yourself to the point where the assessor couldn’t get a clear signal.”
“Well, I didn’t know when I would be assessed, so I am pretty sure I couldn’t have planned for it.” She said it innocently in a voice husky with fatigue.
The assessor’s mind pushed at hers, and she winced. He announced, “Theedo warned her. I doubt he guessed what she would do with the warning.”
Nova shrugged. “I can say he would probably be surprised.”
The examiner scowled. “So, rested, you are receptive?”
She shrugged again. “You tell me.”
The assessor snorted. “She is stubborn, but a Hmrain can deal with that. If she isn’t a match, she can be downgraded, and her bond can be sold to one of the nobles of Hebor. Both native species are compatible.”
Nova blinked. “Wait. I want to work a job, not on my back.”
The examiner frowned. “You are biologically compatible, have high psychic sensitivity, and a body that is not as strong as you wish it to be, but it is fine for companion class. If you earn yourself out of bond, you can choose your career.”
She stared at him. “You are lying.”
“What?” He looked surprised.
“Once I am a companion, I am stuck in that role.”
His complexion darkened over his collarbone. It was how his people blushed. “I was hoping you didn’t know that. The Hmrain that buys your bond will be careful, and you will go over a final companion contract. You have taken the negotiation class?”
“Yes.”
“Well, during your trip, write up your stipulations, and he will counter with his own requirements, and the idea is that you meet in the middle.”
Nova looked around at the walls of the medical unit. It was elegant and smooth, the surface a pale grey. She found it soothing. “How long do I have?”
