Chapter Four

As soon as Talia returned to her room, she changed out of the ridiculous dress and into a night shirt. It wasn't much longer than the minidress, but somehow it seemed less compromising. She needed a drink, so she called room service and ordered a bottle of wine. Negotiations with the Tentacons wouldn't resume for another 15 hours, and she had nothing further to do in the meantime. A glass or two couldn't hurt. She smiled to herself about her disbelief at Carson Veen wanting to drink the night before. 24 hours had changed her attitude. If he had shown up the second evening -- who knew what she might have done?

The wine came, along with surprisingly good prime rib and mashed potatoes. When the food arrived, and its smell hit her, she realized she was ravenous. Talia usually was a light eater, but not this time. She gulped down the entire meal. She realized for the first time that the encounter with the Tentacons had left her feeling strange. She felt her cheek -- it was warm. She looked at her face in the mirror -- it was lightly flushed. A low tingle of excitement coursed through her body. It was almost . . . like being aroused.

What happened in there? she wondered.

Her screen beeped. She hit it and Tracy's face appeared. The bottom of the screen showed nothing below her bare shoulders, but Talia had the impression that Tracy was nude.

"Hey Talia," Tracy said. "Mind if I come over?"

"Sure, but I've just had dinner. I've got some wine, though."

"I've eaten too," Tracy said. "That wine sounds good. I'll be right there."

"You might want to put something on," Talia said, her lips twisting into a smile.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that. I don't know about you, but I felt funny when I got back to the room. I took my dress off and I didn't want to put anything on. But I promise you I won't show up naked."

"Good thing. For all we know there might be laws against naked human women running around," Talia said.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Tracy said. "But I'll get dressed anyway."

Tracy knocked on Talia's door three minutes later. She wore the blue minidress.

They sat down on a small sofa and drank the wine.

"What did you think about the Tentacons?" Tracy asked Talia. "Were they what you expected?"

"I'd seen pictures and video of them," Talia replied. "But it is different seeing them up close. I'm curious -- why does the Tentacon lord stay in the water? I thought they were a terrestrial species."

"We don't know too much about their evolution, because they haven't shared much and we still don't have their DNA," Tracy said. "We believe they evolved as an aquatic species and then emerged from the seas and evolved further on land. The Tentacon lords, however, because they are larger, have more difficulty regulating heat, and they use water to keep their bodies cool. So, the lords, from what we know, spend most of their time in chambers like the one we saw, or stay permanently near the coast. You noticed the mist?"

"Of course. I couldn't help but notice it."

"The mist keeps the air moist, which the Tentacons like, but I think it does something else too. How do you feel?"

"What do you mean?" Talia asked.

"Do you feel aroused?" Tracy asked.

Talia was startled at the question.

"When I came back to the room, I did feel . . . strange. Flushed. My skin was warm. Aroused . . . I don't know. Maybe. You think the mist caused that?"

"I think there was something in that mist. A pheromone, maybe. I get the sense that the Tentacons know more about us than we know about them, and that they are doing whatever they must to make us susceptible to influence, so this negotiation goes well. That might mean weakening our psychological defenses. But I don't know if it affected the men, too, and they're the ones doing most of the negotiating. I hope to get more information about the Tentacons during the biological exchange tomorrow."

"Do you trust them, the Tentacons?" Talia asked.

"No, not at all," Tracy replied. "But, come to think of it, do you trust the Company? Do you trust Dars Stenvo?"

Talia had to admit to herself that she did not. "I don't," she said.

"Me, either," Tracy said. "Dars Stenvo would do anything and everything to get this deal done. I'm here because of what this will mean to my career. It's a can't-miss opportunity. But I'm keeping my eyes open.

"You were recruited by Gadber Hines, right? The weaselly one?"

"Yes, I was," Talia said.

"I don't trust him at all, either. Looks shifty. But like I say, I'm willing to put up with it because of what it will mean when we get back to Earth."

They drank some wine in silence.

"Talia," Tracy said. "When the Tentacon touched you, did you feel something? I mean, not with your senses, but with your mind? Like you could connect with his?"

"I did," said Talia, excited and relieved to know she wasn't crazy. "It felt like . . . like I could feel what he felt. But it was like the feeling was jumbled. It was there, but I couldn't read it. It went away before I could translate it. But yes. I felt something."

"I did too," Tracy said. "And I've heard some say the Tentacons communicate telepathically. I didn't believe it. But I do now. If it happens again, take advantage of it. Push. Push your consciousness forward. Try to figure out what he's thinking."

Talia didn't know what to say to that. She didn't know what it meant to push her consciousness forward, but she figured it was as apt a description of what she'd experienced with Odorin as any. She took a sip of wine. Already, it was relaxing her. She scanned Tracy's body next to hers.

"You put the dress back on," Talia observed.

"I did," Tracy replied. "I got used to it. I like the feel of the fabric on my skin. When I got back to my room, I felt, like I said, aroused. It felt good. I took it off, but my body craved the feeling of it. So, I put it back on. But I could take it off if it bothers you." She looked up from her wine glass to Talia's eyes.

"No, I didn't mean to suggest --"

Tracy put a hand on Talia's knee. It felt warm and soft and pleasant there. Talia let in a quick, short breath.

"Tracy, I'm not sure --"

"I don't blame you," Tracy interrupted. "You haven't been with a woman before, have you?" She scooted closer to Talia on the couch.

Talia couldn't say anything first. Tracy was right. She hadn't been with a woman before. Most of her friends had, at one point or another, but not Talia. But the wine and the mist seemed to be having an effect, because Talia didn't push Tracy's hand away.

Tracy took it as an invitation. She moved closer, until her lips were inches from Talia's face. Tracy's hand moved up Talia's leg, under the night shirt.

Talia couldn't remember having seen a woman's lips so close before. They were lovely lips, full and rosy and moist. Tracy kissed Talia.

Talia took it, passively, at first, but then she kissed Tracy back.

Tracy's hand moved further up Talia's thigh under the shirt until it rested on her hip. She pulled her face a few inches away from Talia's and looked at Talia, eyes brimming with lust.

"Bare," she said. "Easier access."

Before Tracy could move her hand between Talia's legs, Talia grabbed her forearm and pushed her away.

"I can't," Talia said. "I can't do this."

For a few beats Talia stared down at the floor. Tracy stared at her forehead.

"I didn't mean to be pushy, Talia," Tracy said. "I misread you. Maybe the mist, or whatever it is, is getting to me. Maybe it's the whole planet."

"It's O.K., I'm not upset."

"Good. Well, I'll go now."

Before she left the screen beeped. Talia opened the picture. Dars Stenvo's face filled the screen. He cocked his eyebrows and smirked when he saw Tracy and Talia sitting close together on the sofa, one still in the dress and another in a skimpy night shirt.

"Professor Denzer. Professor Partaro. I didn't expect to see you together. You saved me an extra call. It's about tomorrow. Talia, when the meeting begins we need you to help calibrate the translator. So be ready for that. Tracy, at the same time we'll have you meet with the Tentacon biologists. You'll exchange data then."

Both Talia and Tracy wondered about the need for the meetings. It would have been easy enough to exchange data remotely. But the Tentacons stood on ceremony and favored personal meetings.

"We'll be ready," Talia said.

"Good," Stenvo said. "We'll be wearing the same thing, so clean your dresses."

"Maybe they'd prefer we just go naked," Tracy said, rolling her eyes.

Stenvo smirked again.

"They might, Professor Partaro," he said. "As you've said, there's a lot we don't know about them. But they haven't asked any of us to do that. Not yet." He laughed, unpleasantly.

The tone of his reply made Talia nervous.

"Good night, professors," Stenvo said. The screen went dark before they could reply.

"He's an ass," Tracy said. "He'd be happy as a clam if the Tentacons made us show up naked."

She lifted off the sofa, turning back to Talia before walking to the door.

"Good night, Talia," she said.

"Good night, Tracy," Talia said.

When the door closed, Talia tossed the blue dress into the processor in the wall. Two minutes later the cleaning was done and she took it out.

She stripped off the shirt, climbed into bed, and turned off the light. She didn't sleep for a while. Her mind wrestled with the disquieting reality that Earth was far, far away.