It was just before her sixteenth birthday that she received her mating notice. She was to report to Central Authority Headquarters in Shisk to be assigned a mate and to meet him for the first time. Central Authority didn’t make you live with your mate immediately. After selection you met your mate and had one cycle to get to know each other and plan your life together. Lorin was very nervous and apprehensive about the process. She didn’t like the idea of Central Authority telling her she had to mate. She had little interest in men and wanted only to help her father in the struggle against the Purists that, even nine cycles earlier, was beginning to take shape.
She had received her envelope and taken a seat along with hundreds of other young girls her age. A large woman with a clipboard stepped to the podium and addressed the group.
“Good morning ladies. Central Authority welcomes you to Mate Selection Day. Today you will learn the identity of the person the computers have found to be most compatible to you. What this means is that after considering countless measures of personality, background, physique, intelligence, and interests, the computers have searched our vast census databases and found the most likely person to make you happy and productive during your adult life.
“I know today’s events may seem quite overwhelming to you, but the mating process has been going on for nearly fifty cycles and it’s worked very well. Just keep an open mind and follow the instructions and guidelines in your mating manual. We also will have counselors available should you need them tonight or at any time during the mating cycle. Now you may open your envelopes and find the identity of your mate. You will also find the number of the meeting area where you can find the man who will share you destiny.”
Lorin tore open the envelope and rifled through the contents for the picture of the man who she’d be spending the rest of her life with, whether she liked it or not. She pulled out the color glossy and froze. She recognized the face. It was Jake, the Chancellor’s nephew. She liked Jake. They’d run around together for years. But Jake as her mate? Yes! She could see herself with Jake. He was smart and a lot of fun. They’d be good together. She looked for the paper telling her where to meet him. She couldn’t wait to see what his reaction would be to the match. She found the paper and walked briskly to the meeting area. When she saw Jake she went over to him casually.
“Jake. I can’t believe this,” she said teasingly. “What are the odds that the computer would mate two people who were already friends?”
Jake smiled and shrugged. “About a million to one.”
“Uh huh. So, how do you suppose this happened?”
“Ah. . . . Well, it may be my fault. You know when we were taking all those tests to help the computer make its matches?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I answered every question in such a way that the computer could only pick you as my mate.”
“Oh, I see. Very clever. Now tell me how you did it.”
“Are you unhappy?”
“No, I’m delighted. I’d love to be your mate, but I want to know how it happened. It couldn’t have been by computer selection.”
“Okay, I’ll confess. I told my uncle that if I was mated with anybody but Lorin Garcia, I’d volunteer for an Earth shuttle and he wouldn’t see me for fourteen years.”
Lorin laughed. “You didn’t!”
“I did. So, he made sure the computer picked me the right woman.”
Lorin took his hand. She smiled up at him. “I’m so relieved. I was afraid I’d get stuck with some guy that looked like a durkbird or had the personality of a nanomite.”
“It pays to have connections,” Jake said pulling her close to him. “I’d kiss you, but someone might get suspicious.”
“Hmm. You’re right. We better act like we’ve just met.”
She took a deep breath as the memory faded. She’d been fortunate to be mated with Jake. She loved him. Yes, she did love him. Even if love was not sanctioned on Tarizon, it didn’t matter. There was no doubt about it. She loved Jake and she’d die if he didn’t come back to her.