Terramen (Continued)

The entire clan had gathered for the introductory ceremonies. Children swam frantically to-and-fro through the school of people. Every so often, an adult would swat them back with their tail or flick them lightly on the gills to bring them under control. For the most part, they were just as eager to have a close view of the Terramen as the children.

At the center of the spherical throng, floated three strange creatures, all in black, and partially obscured by the bubbles roiling before their faces. Beside them, a less than enthusiastic Sri\\m^ floated, as well as the chief and the professor of Terran behavior, nicknamed He\e^, meaning air girl.

The chief let out a piercing wail to indicate the start of the ceremony. As the waters stilled, he began to sing. The craft of the song was lost on the Terramen. How could they understand the difficulty of composing in a language where note and rhythm determines the meaning of the words? In a sense, they were always singing, but the work the chief performed was a true masterpiece. The melody was lilting, the tune rhythmic, and the lyrics comprehensible. Primarily, it entreated the listener to turn its back to the singer, as a sign of trust. One by one, the clan turned away to face the sea, leaving their backs exposed to the Terramen. Sri\\m^ scrawled an explanation for the visitors, who attempted to look solemn and respectful in their elaborate gear.

After the melody faded away, the clan turned back to watch the final steps of the ceremony. The chief drew a shark tooth from a pouch around his midsection. This, he presented to one of the Terramen, who in turn produced the sucker-like dorsal fin of a remora and offered it to the chief. Had they been able to speak directly, the chief and lead Terraman would have verbally as well as symbolically requested a symbiotic relationship between their people, but they made due.

Finally, a new element to the greeting ceremony. Because neither species could pronounce the other's names, all six beings involved in the ceremony would receive a name in the other's language. The lead Terran, Jack, became Mmmm\\\\n^^^^. The other two, Alice and Jan, were named Ri^uu and I^i\i^. Sri\\m^ received the name Paul. The chief was named William. Finally He/e^ became Aria.

After a moderate struggle to escape the ball of excited people, the Terramen retreated to a small chamber connected by pipes and tubes to an aircraft carrier above. They had been lowered in that carrier over the course of hours to prepare them for the high pressure, and it would provide them with an unlimited supply of tank refills, as well as somewhat cramped sleeping quarters. Although they itched to see more of the clan, they had been given clear instructions. Do not stay too long at the beginning. Give them time to get used to you. For lack of an alternative, Alice and Jan collapsed on their cots, exhausted from pressure equipment, and nervous excitement. Jack, on the other hand, sat up for several hours, fingering the shark tooth.