Catati TY Bundle: a collection of 5 short stories: Catati TY

By Misty White

Includes:
“Catati Test”
“Yatorun Transport”
“Jungle Catatan”
“Noveez Error”
“Alien Relations”

(Totals about 18,000 words / about 70 minutes of reading for the average reader.)

Catati Test
When Earth’s new spacefaring allies let Humans into their school, Tammy leapt at the chance. Maybe one of these days, she’ll even pass—preferably before her alien friend gets a girlfriend.

Yatorun Transport
Tammy’s spent nearly a year working as a base-level tech—read: electrician—on a Catati vessel, and her shipmates still give her special treatment, because she’s the only Human. But not all “special treatment” is a bad thing.

Jungle Catatan
Theoretically, Tammy should be able to handle all the tech issues for a small freighter, but that would require her to pay attention. She’s screwed up big time, and meeting her best friend’s family for the first time might not make things any better.

Noveez Error
Tammy’s husband, Yakí, is supposed to be in the mountains of his homeworld, but somehow he’s ended up captive of enemies even Tammy hadn’t known the Catati had. Tammy’s no diplomat, but she’s the only Human available to try to buy time for an extraction team to get Yakí out. But can she pull it off without screwing up?

Alien Relations
After the events of “Noveez Error”, Tammy knows her husband’s hiding something from her. He wouldn’t do that unless whatever he was hiding would upset her, so what doesn’t he want her to know? And what are they going to do about it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Misti Wolanski
• Release date: Aug 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536577358

Book preview

Catati Test

T

ammy had failed by one question.

Grinding her teeth, she kicked at the gravel walkway, sending pebbles into the ‘grhass’, as Catati called it. Catati tended to add h’s to ’most everything they said, it seemed.

Mhiss Hendrhickson? asked her Catati friend Yakí.

"Hendrickson. Hard r."

He raised both hands, shoulders dropping. Excuse me. He looked down at her with silver eyes, a skeletal ridge on each golden brown cheekbone. Congrhatulhations.

For what? she asked tersely. "I failed. Again."

He shrugged stiffly. You will pass next time. His eyes glinted, the edges crinkling—his people’s version of curiously cocking the head. You are the only Human who has come that close. Does that not please you?

She whipped about, glaring at him. You think we’re stupid, don’t you?

The Catati nodded vigorously. Of course not—

I’ve spent a year failing a class your baby sister passed in two months, Yakí.

Yakí’s nostrils flared as a sigh. Your minds take longer to mature than ours do, Miss Hendrickson. My sister may be a child physically, but mentally she is already an adult. Such is our life. He spread his hands in the Human gesture. We spend little time helpless, rapidly developing to the size of a small child. Our minds develop rapidly, interspersed with a few more spurts of growth.

And then you’re grown, Tammy clipped bitterly. I watched your sister Welé go from an apparent age nine to age twelve in a month and a half.

"Con, mani ya," Yakí murmured.

Tammy quickly transliterated his words, though she’d never figured out how the Catati had translated their language to use vowels like Spanish. She’d seen Catati writing, before. Its letters were closer to Greek than English.

She figured out what he’d said and tried to figure out where she’d gone wrong, because there was No way. "She grows slowly?!"

Yakí’s high cheeks darkened, gaining a violet tint. I forgot. You are learning Catati.

Tammy beat her head against a nearby oak. I—don’t—believe—this! A thud stressed each word.

Strong fingers gripped the back of her neck and turned her around. She blinked, surprised. She’d never seen a Catati squint!

Yakí’s soft tone hid a metallic twang. Do not do that. The pressure on her neck didn’t change.

Um… Okay.

Giving a sharp shake of his head, he released her and abruptly continued down the gravel path.

Keeping a sharp eye on him, she rubbed her sore neck. What had that meant? She sighed, realizing just how little she actually knew of Humanity’s spacefaring allies.

The Catati had shown up a few years ago, eagerly learning all they could of Earth’s inhabitants and founding a compound for those of their kind who visited. Technologically, they surpassed the Humans.

Which was why she was there.

All her life, Tammy’d longed to be in the space program. Her junior year in high school, the aliens had made contact. By the time she’d been ready for college, the Catati had offered to take Human students in their complex’s school.

After a year in the most frustrating class of her life, she was wondering how she’d even passed the entrance exam. Few had.

She stiffened, her eyes narrowing at her friend’s ever-straight back. She jogged up to him. Yakí?

Yes?

You guys dumbed down the entrance test for us, didn’t you?

He looked at her with those unnerving silver eyes, so different from his silky golden brown skin and hair. She mentally slapped herself at the way that sent her thoughts. Bad Tammy.

You have a different background. The exam was altered to reflect what you would have had the ability to know.

She glowered at him. What’s the standard entrance test?

Having a transparent nictitating membrane between their eye and lid, Catati had no need for blinking. It made their stares weird. Are you mad at me, Miss Hendrickson?

"Mad? I—I’m livid! I’ve spent the past year working my butt off to just now realize I haven’t a chance! Sure, let’s give the Humans a chance to take our tests—we’ll have to dumb them down so much that we won’t have to worry about making them interns!"

Yakí’s pear-shaped ear twitched. "Your class is at the normal level."

Yeah, I’ll bet! she snapped.

His eyes crinkled at the edges. Would you like to see the Catati entrance test? I still have mine.

Funny, ’cause I would’ve thought you’d be an instructor, by now. He had to be; she’d known that since they’d first met while dodging a crowd of hyper child-students.

But he nodded slowly. No. I lack the near-photographic memory so common to my people. Although I have passed your people’s examinations, I am still in primary Catati medical training. His nostrils broadened. Which is, you have undoubtedly noticed, unusual for a Catati our age.

Tammy gaped, speechless. Yakí was a student like her? She’d thought— She swallowed, yanking herself together. Can I see it now?

Yakí bowed slightly. Certainly, Miss Hendrickson. Immediately, he turned off the walkway, cutting across the grass to some weird building-high bushes with vivid citron stems and bulbous tan leaves. They were miltar, she reminded herself, imported from Catatan. One spot wasn’t quite as well-filled as the others. He shoved through, skillfully maneuvering within the forest of bushes.

On her way through the miltar, Tammy hesitated, hearing muffled shouts on the other side. Where are we going? she tried to ask, receiving nothing but a mouth full of leaf juice.

Hopefully that wasn’t poisonous.

She broke through, finding herself at Yakí’s side. His eyes were narrowed with…something. They were beside a building of the resilient verdant substance all Catati structures were made of. She peeked around the corner.

Catati men and boys laughed boisterously as they kicked some champagne-colored ball around, keeping it in the air. As she watched, one child missed—

Whoosh! The ‘ball’ exploded squarely on his head. She gagged, the sickeningly sweet scent overloading her nose.

As she tried not to throw up, Yakí took her arm, guiding her into the first door of the building. Tammy heard the male guffaws even through the shut door. He helped her sit on a foamy taupe Catati divan.

I am sorry, Yakí said after a minute. "I forgot about the jana game." He handed her a flimsy piece of the plastic-like material that Catati used as Humans did paper.

Tammy stared bewilderedly at the symbols. Uh, I can’t read this.

He sat beside her, leaning towards the sheet. The sofa didn’t react to his weight beside her. She found herself wondering how much Catati even weighed… Probably a good amount more than Humans, if strength was any indicator.

A honey finger pointed to each line as he read it from top to bottom, right to left. Not only did he read her each question and answer, but he often gave Human comparisons for each Catati reference. This stupid Catati could teach a most Human geniuses a thing or two.

When he finished, he put it back in the stack from which he’d gotten it. I hope that made sense to you.

Tammy nodded. You’re a good teacher. I’m sorry I yelled at you.

Yakí shook his head sharply. It was nothing. He paused. Are you hungry?

She shrugged. I dunno. Why?

The Catati stood, his stiff posture reminding her of Human aristocracy. It is midday. Perhaps you would like to try a Catati dish.

Tammy frowned at him. I thought you people wanted to keep your cuisine to yourselves.

His cheek ridges darkened, getting the violet hue of what she guessed was a Catati blush. You will eat our food when on our ships. Why not begin now?

She watched him closely. If he were Human, she’d bet Yakí had a crush on her. With him being Catati, though… She doubted it. Don’t get in trouble on my account.

His expression one that would be puzzlement on