Page 75 of I Married Kayog
My face hardened. “Are you asking me to help infiltrate them?”
He snorted and shook his head. “No, I want you to help us form bonds with them. The best way to learn about someone’s culture is by living with them. A temporary visit for a couple of days doesn’t show you the real picture. Through their mates, we can learn a lot about them as well as provide both guidance and protection.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What you’re saying still sounds a lot like infiltration.”
He smiled. “There’s a fine line between infiltration, assimilation, and collaboration. Someone like you, with the power to know when two people are soulmates, will help create the kind of pairings that will ensure the protection of primitive people. I mean your soulmate will always want what’s best for you, right?”
I nodded, although still far from convinced. “True though that may be, do you know what are the odds of me ever finding a primitive alien’s other half? There are billions of people throughout the galaxy. I might as well try to count how many drops of water are in the ocean.”
Colin’s smile broadened. “What does it matter? You still get to meet those aliens, talk to them, and learn about their cultures. You always wanted to meet primitive species. What more perfect deal could you ask for?”
My heart leapt. He was making an excellent point. Even now, my mind buzzed with all the species I wished I could have interacted with directly or gotten to spend a few weeks in their midst. Despite the excitement bubbling inside me, I forced myself to rein in my enthusiasm. There were far too many holes in this plan. I hated failure. I didn’t mind hard work, but embarking on a project that was doomed before it even began didn’t feature anywhere on my to do list.
“Fair,” I replied carefully. “But what if I fail to yield any positive results? What if I never match anyone or only once in a very rare while?”
He shrugged. “I don't worry about that. The result will slowly but surely come. You only need extensive exposure to as many people as possible. What you need to understand is that people will flock to you. Throughout the universe, love is one of the biggest businesses in any society. The industries that continuously thrive are those connected to helping people find a life partner. Do you know how many matchmaking agencies exist in the known galaxy?”
“Tons of them!” I exclaimed. “Which is exactly my point! When people think of finding a mate, they don’t think Enforcers or UPO!”
Colin chuckled. “Which is why you will not be officially employed by either. You will simply have the UPO as an affiliate and major sponsor. People are tired of throwing their money at agencies that fail them and wasting their time dating partners that were pretty much guaranteed to be incompatible right from the start. With you, the perfect match is guaranteed. They will fight each other for your services.”
“Assuming I even manage to find their soulmate!” I repeated, baffled that he seemed to fail to see my point.
He gave me an indulgent smile. “You worry too much. People buy lottery tickets knowing that their chances of winning are slim to none. But that chance exists. And the reward is more than worth the gamble. You can offer them the ultimate prize for free.”
I perked up, that last comment catching my attention.
“The UPO will pay your wages as well as cover all your operating costs. Matchmaking is merely your cover with the added bonus of allowing you to do all the things you love most, which is to protect primitive species, bring joy to others, and surround yourself with soulmates. It’s a win-win all around.”
“You’ve really thought about this,” I said, stunned.
Initially, I thought my joke about becoming a matchmaker had planted that seed in his mind. But it was now clear to me that he had already been studying this as a possibility.
He gave me a mysterious look. “I never act on a whim,” he replied as if he had read the thought fleeting through my mind. “I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of that approach since you paired Yinric and Ellen.”
I recoiled. “What?”
“Ellenneverwould have considered a Raithean as a potential mate, and neither would have Yinric even glanced at a human with a romantic mindset. It wasn’t because of any negative perception of the other species. It simply wasn’t something they thought about. Both assumed they would eventually end up with someone of their own race.”
“Until I meddled in their affairs,” I said with amusement.
“Until you offered them their happily ever after on a silver platter,” Colin countered with an almost triumphant glimmer in his eyes. “As much as it surprised them, they didn’t question it because they trust you. Kayog, you do not seem to realize justhow charismatic and likable you are. You make people feel safe. The way you look at people and talk to them give them the impression that they hold your entire attention, like they are the center of your universe during the brief time they interact with you.”
I shifted uneasily in my chair, unsure how to handle these compliments.
“Like I said, don’t fret so much about quotas. Even if you only secure one or two matches a year, each one will reinforce your status and credibility,” Colin said forcefully. “In the meantime, you get to visit all those protected worlds, talk to their people, understand their plights, and document the ways that we could help them.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, looking for any sign of deception.
“Ways we couldhelpthem orexploitthem?” I challenged.
The strangest expression flitted over his ruggedly handsome features.
“Are you askingme, Colin Wilson, this question? Or are you asking the representative of both the Enforcers and the UPO?”
Something in the way he spoke those words struck me hard. In that instant, I realized he was dropping the mask and laying everything on the table.
“Both,” I said in a serious tone.
