it seem the most obvious thing in the world.
“You can’t go into that cage. It isn’t safe.”
“Isn’t safe how?”
“We haven’t absolutely eliminated the possibility of interspecies infections, for one thing. Why else do you think we keep this section under quarantine?”
“Surely you must know the probability of us catching something from him is low or else you wouldn’t have brought him aboard this station.”
“Low, but not yet zero. It will still take several months to be absolutely sure,” Bendagar insisted. “Until then, you will have to work through the glass like the rest of us.”
Lisa let loose with a comment that she had not learned in linguistics class. “If I work through the glass, I will have about as much success as you have had. If this is to succeed, it must be a saturation learning experience for both of us.”
The chief scientist hesitated and pondered his dilemma. He noted Dieter Pavel’s look and knew what the government man’s recommendation would be. He had made it clear enough in the office that afternoon that he wanted the alien speaking at the earliest possible moment. Then again, if this impetuous woman wanted to risk her life, who was he to stop her? Finally, he nodded. “Very well. I hope you realize that you are offering yourself up as a human guinea pig for the biologists’ studies.”
“I realize that.”
“What if he bites?” Pavel asked.
Lisa turned to him and smiled. “Then I’ll bite him back. Seriously, I would not suggest this if it were not important. Two rational beings ought to be able to understand one another, but only if they can establish common ground of some kind. This is the only way I know to learn what I must to crack this being’s language - assuming, of course, that he has one. I certainly won’t succeed if I am limited to an hour a day of ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane’ through a centimeter of armor glass.”
She turned to Bendagar. “How do I get inside?”
“Do you mean now ?”
“Why not?”
He sighed, recognizing her determination. “What will you need?”
“A sleeping bag, my kit bag, and enough food to last me a week. Give me space rations. I will switch to real food once I am sure the smell will not upset our guest. Oh yes, and I want the camera turned off in the head whenever I need to use it.”
“Very well.”
“Now, how do I get inside?”
Bendagar reached for his communicator. “Wait, I’ll call for some of the station maintenance people. They will unbolt this door for you.”
#
Sar-Say watched with apprehension as the barrier was removed and one of the bipeds floated into his cage. At first, he thought they were after more tissue samples. He prepared himself to be prodded and poked again. He was surprised when, after the others handed several bundles to the creature, they replaced the thick transparency that kept him prisoner.
The newcomer was female, he observed, or at least of the subgroup of creatures he had tentatively identified as such. The cylindrical roll she carried had the looks of one of the null gravity beds they had provided to him for sleeping. In addition, the other packages were similar to the small rectangular packets from which Sar-Say had observed the guards eating on more than one occasion. It was then he realized that this creature intended to take up residence inside his cell. Evidently, then, this knowledge seeker would attempt to establish communication with him. It was a turn of events that he had been expecting.
After stowing her gear on the far side of the compartment from where Sar-Say’s own sleeping mattress was hung, the female pulled herself to a point just beyond reach and lashed herself to a chair. She then leaned forward, showed her teeth in the ferocious gesture that Sar-Say had learned signified mirth among these beings, and spoke two syllables: “Leee ... Saa!”
As she uttered the sound, she gestured in her own direction, then bared her teeth again and gestured toward
“You can’t go into that cage. It isn’t safe.”
“Isn’t safe how?”
“We haven’t absolutely eliminated the possibility of interspecies infections, for one thing. Why else do you think we keep this section under quarantine?”
“Surely you must know the probability of us catching something from him is low or else you wouldn’t have brought him aboard this station.”
“Low, but not yet zero. It will still take several months to be absolutely sure,” Bendagar insisted. “Until then, you will have to work through the glass like the rest of us.”
Lisa let loose with a comment that she had not learned in linguistics class. “If I work through the glass, I will have about as much success as you have had. If this is to succeed, it must be a saturation learning experience for both of us.”
The chief scientist hesitated and pondered his dilemma. He noted Dieter Pavel’s look and knew what the government man’s recommendation would be. He had made it clear enough in the office that afternoon that he wanted the alien speaking at the earliest possible moment. Then again, if this impetuous woman wanted to risk her life, who was he to stop her? Finally, he nodded. “Very well. I hope you realize that you are offering yourself up as a human guinea pig for the biologists’ studies.”
“I realize that.”
“What if he bites?” Pavel asked.
Lisa turned to him and smiled. “Then I’ll bite him back. Seriously, I would not suggest this if it were not important. Two rational beings ought to be able to understand one another, but only if they can establish common ground of some kind. This is the only way I know to learn what I must to crack this being’s language - assuming, of course, that he has one. I certainly won’t succeed if I am limited to an hour a day of ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane’ through a centimeter of armor glass.”
She turned to Bendagar. “How do I get inside?”
“Do you mean now ?”
“Why not?”
He sighed, recognizing her determination. “What will you need?”
“A sleeping bag, my kit bag, and enough food to last me a week. Give me space rations. I will switch to real food once I am sure the smell will not upset our guest. Oh yes, and I want the camera turned off in the head whenever I need to use it.”
“Very well.”
“Now, how do I get inside?”
Bendagar reached for his communicator. “Wait, I’ll call for some of the station maintenance people. They will unbolt this door for you.”
#
Sar-Say watched with apprehension as the barrier was removed and one of the bipeds floated into his cage. At first, he thought they were after more tissue samples. He prepared himself to be prodded and poked again. He was surprised when, after the others handed several bundles to the creature, they replaced the thick transparency that kept him prisoner.
The newcomer was female, he observed, or at least of the subgroup of creatures he had tentatively identified as such. The cylindrical roll she carried had the looks of one of the null gravity beds they had provided to him for sleeping. In addition, the other packages were similar to the small rectangular packets from which Sar-Say had observed the guards eating on more than one occasion. It was then he realized that this creature intended to take up residence inside his cell. Evidently, then, this knowledge seeker would attempt to establish communication with him. It was a turn of events that he had been expecting.
After stowing her gear on the far side of the compartment from where Sar-Say’s own sleeping mattress was hung, the female pulled herself to a point just beyond reach and lashed herself to a chair. She then leaned forward, showed her teeth in the ferocious gesture that Sar-Say had learned signified mirth among these beings, and spoke two syllables: “Leee ... Saa!”
As she uttered the sound, she gestured in her own direction, then bared her teeth again and gestured toward
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