Free Aliena Too by Piers Anthony Page A

understand you, and you understand me. We also have automatic translation available. But it will be better for you to learn our language, so that you can function apart from the machines.”
    He tried to nod, but it didn’t work. “Then I guess I’d better get on to kindergarten.”
    â€œFirst you will need practice moving, eating, and elimination.”
    â€œSo I won’t poop on the table,” he agreed.
    â€œActually elimination can be accomplished anywhere; the circulation of the water carries it away, and the ship’s filters remove it in due course. But it is better to understand the process, and control it, so as not to suffer embarrassment. So you are, in essence, correct.”
    â€œBut I get the message. I need to know how not to be crude in public.”
    â€œWe will start with moving. You will discover that you are not standing upright as you did in your original host. You are spread on the floor, and your feet are myriad, in rows along the base of your arms. You need not be concerned about falling; it is not possible to fall in this environment. But you may discover it awkward to walk when using those myriad feet.”
    â€œAwkward,” he agreed. “So these five points I have are not analogous to my original arms and legs?”
    â€œThey are not,” she agreed.
    â€œFor that matter, how am I seeing and hearing? I don’t seem to have eyes or ears.”
    â€œYou have thousands of tiny light and sound sensitive cells on your surfaces. So you see and hear with your entire skin, and your brain stem, which is that of the host, integrates these to make pictures and sounds that are intelligible to your brain. That is part of what occurred during your week of convalescence. Without that integration, all would be gibberish.”
    â€œInstead I have clear vision and hearing,” he said. “My compliments to your surgeon.”
    â€œThe robots are proficient,” she agreed.
    â€œAnd how am I talking?”
    â€œYou are sending signals to the many water cells that power your arms, causing them to eject water while constricting, so that they vibrate to make sounds. The water carries sound well, so you are readily audible, as I am.”
    â€œI’m talking through my feet?”
    â€œYour arms are your feet. They do make the sounds of speech.”
    â€œSo let’s see how I walk.” Quincy tried, and got nowhere. All that happened was that the tip of an arm lifted.
    â€œYou may be trying to walk the human way,” Aliena said. “By moving one entire arm at a time. This will not be effective.”
    â€œWhat will be effective?” he asked, suppressing his annoyance.
    â€œDirect controlled sounds to all your arms.”
    He tried that, and lifted up off the sea floor slightly before dropping down again. “Oops!”
    â€œNow do that while angling your tubelets back.”
    Quincy discovered that he could do that. When he did, he drifted, what he thought, was forward slightly. Strictly speaking, or squirting, he did not have a front or back; he was the same in all directions. But it was controlled movement, of a sort. He tried again, and moved farther forward, with more power. He was starting to get the knack of it. Angled mini-jets were enabling him to travel, and to sing, as it were, as he did so. A moving starfish was audible.
    â€œPractice that until you can move without focusing on it,” Aliena said. “Tomorrow we’ll start you in a language class.”
    â€œBut with the translators, do I need it?”
    â€œIf you depend on the translators you will always be subject to the machine. It is better to do as much for yourself as you can. That was why I learned Earth speech when I was in a human host.”
    That made sense. “I will learn your language.”
    â€œGood.” She extended an arm tip and touched the tip of one of his arms. There was an electric twinge that amounted to a small