The alarm woke Talia at 0530 hours.
Talia threw the covers back and jumped out of bed, as she always did. She did some exercises and took a shower. She began to get dressed when she remembered that she was supposed to wear only clothing that had been prepared for her. At that moment, a bell sounded at her door.
She wrapped herself in a towel and opened the door. A small bot rolled away in the hallway, leaving a package on the floor.
Talia walked back into the room with the package and opened it. She released the towel and it fell to the floor. She stood naked. Inside the package was a note and some clothing. She read the note first. It said, simply, "Wear these to the meeting today, and nothing else."
Talia up-ended the package, and three things fell out, onto the bed, all in pale gray-blue: two slippers, and a dress.
There was nothing else. No bra. No underwear.
The dress was short, rising high on her thighs, with short sleeves extending only a little way down her biceps, and it was utterly form-fitting. The shape and contours of Talia's body were fully revealed. Despite the thinness of the material, it provided surprising support, so her breasts, though without a bra, stood firmly and prominently forward, away from her chest. The fabric perfectly molded her nipples, too, and they stood out in perfect tiny points away from her body. She turned around and looked at her backside in the mirror. The dress molded her buttocks, as well, and the cleft between them was clear.
It was lewd, and ludicrous. She couldn't go to a meeting like this. It must have been someone's joke. But how could she find out?
She turned on the screen on the wall and pulled up Tracy's contact. Talia and Tracy had become casual friends during the ten-week space flight, and Tracy was the only crew member Talia trusted to discuss something as personal as what to wear. She hit Tracy's contact. A few seconds later Tracy's room appeared on the screen, and Tracy stood in front of it. She wore the same blue-gray dress.
"Good morning, Talia," Tracy said. "What's up?"
"This dress," Talia said. "I thought this was a joke, but I can see you're wearing the same one. What's this about?"
"I'll be right there," Tracy said. "Let's have breakfast in your room and talk about it."
Five minutes later a knock sounded at the door. Talia opened it, and Tracy stood outside. The minidress showed off every bit as much of her body as it did Talia's. Talia also wore the small blue slippers. Talia let Tracy in.
Talia was struck immediately by how much Tracy's body looked like hers. They were about the same height, around five feet, seven inches, and with similar figures -- slim but curvy, with thin waists, prominent hips, long legs and large, firm breasts, jutting from their chests with little droop. Tracy's nipples stood out straight and obvious from her body under the thin dress fabric, just as Talia's did. But while Talia was pale and blond-haired and blue-eyed, Tracy's skin was darker. She had hazel eyes and long, light brown hair.
Talia held her hands up, framing her body.
"What the fuck is this about?" she said. "How can I go to a negotiation dressed like this? This is preposterous."
"I don't know for sure," Tracy said. "I was surprised, and a little shocked, too. But I think I have an idea. I'll tell you about it. But let's order breakfast first."
They ordered breakfast and it appeared seven minutes later, by a robot carrying it from their ship. Eggs, bacon, coffee, orange juice and assorted fresh fruits arrived at their door. The food looked surprisingly good considering it came from a ship that had been in space for ten weeks.
They set their trays of food on a small table and started eating.
"I heard you got a visit from Carson Veen last night," Tracy said with a smile.
"I did," Talia said. "So, I assume he visited you next?"
"He did," Tracy said. "I decided to adopt Space Protocol before I left Earth. I've been fucking ever since we boarded the cruiser. I lost track of how many guys I fucked, but it was a lot. I have to say, I strongly recommend it. It makes space travel a lot more enjoyable."
"So you fucked him?" Talia asked.
"Carson? Hell, yes," Tracy said. "Or, I guess, he fucked me. He's kind of aggressive. Kind of full of himself, actually. Definitely a douchebag. But it was a good fuck. Nice abs and a decent-sized cock, though not as big as he thinks it is. I don't regret it. Did you come last night?"
"No," Talia said. "I didn't. This whole Space Protocol thing -- I'm not a prude, but I just can't quite get my mind around it."
"I get it," Tracy said. "To each her own. But, personally, I find it helpful to get off the night before a big project like this one. If you do want to get off, I can help you with that. I can probably make you come within five minutes."
"No, thanks," Talia said, embarassed. "Just tell me what you think about this dress."
"That's fine," Tracy said. "I'll tell you what I know, and what I think.
"To begin with, we don't know a lot about Tentacon biology, or Tentacon psychology. They've been extremely cautious about exposing themselves to us. We have no Tentacon DNA samples, and we've never had the opportunity to study a Tentacon body or dissect a Tentacon corpse. They have never submitted themselves to an analysis by a human psychologist, either.
"But from the bits and pieces we have of human interaction with them, we surmise that Tentacons are very . . . interested in the human form. Attracted to it. Especially the female human form. They are an extremely sensitive species. Each of their tentacles appears to be sensitive in a different way, and to respond to different kinds of stimuli. They are visually sensitive as well. They like forms and shapes, but they can be easily disturbed by certain colors. They respond negatively to orange and red, and color clashes bother them. They like curves. That might explain their attraction to the human female body."
"So," Talia replied. "If what you are telling me is true, we're agreeing to be eye candy for the Tentacons while we negotiate with them. Why would we agree to that?"
"I suppose because the leadership of Stenvo GeoSpace is male," Tracy said. "Did you notice how few women were on the cruiser? Have you noticed that the only women in our group are you, me, and one of the junior lawyers? It's no skin off Dars Stenvo's nose if the women in the group have to put on a glamour show for the Tentacons. He doesn't care. He'll do whatever he has to do to get this deal done. Literally, whatever he has to do. So, don't trust him. I don't."
"If you don't trust him, then why are you here?" Talia asked.
"Because it's worth it," Tracy said.
"I've been studying Tentacon biology my entire adult life," she continued. "And I know almost nothing about the subject. This trip, if it goes right, will be the first time we get real information. We've agreed with the Tentacons, preliminarily, to exchange information about our genomes, and the genomes of other species on our respective planets. By the time I get back to Earth, I will know more about the biology of the Tentacons than anybody else on the planet. I can't pass up the opportunity. Even if it requires me to wear this absurd, humiliating, slutty dress."
Tracy laughed. Talia didn't laugh, but she thought about what Tracy was saying. The opportunity for her was enormous as well. In addition to the extraordinary financial bonus she would receive, if the negotiations were successful, she would return to Earth as the undisputed scholar of the languages of Tentos. Every university in the world would want her on its faculty.
"So, that's what I know about why the Tentacons want to see human women in skimpy dresses," Tracy said. "It's lame, and it's pathetic that the company leadership is willing to go along with it, but it's the way it is. But I'm willing to go along with it. Because of the possible upside. I hope you don't think less of me."
"No, I don't," Talia said. "It goes against everything I believe in. But I'm 150 light years away from Earth, and I'm not sure what else to do. I guess, if you're going to do this, I'll do it, too."
"It won't be so bad," Tracy said, putting a hand on Talia's bare thigh. "We'll parade around like dance club sluts on an alien planet for a while, and when we get back home, we'll be millionaires and we'll rule our respective academic roosts."
"I suppose we will," Talia said. She could not deny that the possibility of being the number one scholar in her field on Earth was enticing.
"There is one other thing . . . " Tracy said, her voice fading away.
"What is that?" asked Talia.
"It's a rumor," Tracy said. "I don't know if it's true. It probably isn't. It sounds crazy to me. But I'll let you know."
"What?" Talia asked, suddenly very curious and concerned.
"Well," Tracy said. "You know about the Noids, right?"
"What about them?" Talia asked. The Noids, from what she understood, were a sub-race that the Tentacons had genetically engineered recently to resemble and to communicate with humans. Unlike the Tentacons themselves, they could speak human languages, including English.
"The official story about the Noids," Tracy began, "Is that they were made in labs after the Tentacons first met humans, to make it easier for them to deal with us. But there's another story."
"What is it?" Talia asked.
"That the Tentacon lords bred with human females," Tracy said.
"What the fuck?" Talia asked. This was the first time she had ever heard anything like this. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Look," Tracy said. "It sounds stupid and I know of no evidence for it. But there are rumors. There are rumors that some of the early female explorers to Tentos disappeared. That the Tentacon masters took them and used them for . . . sexual pleasure. And more than that. That they impregnated them, and with the combination of Tentacon and human DNA created the Noids."
"How would that be possible, with two completely different species?" Talia asked. "Wouldn't the DNA be incompatible?"
"It's not possible, based on everything we know about genetics," Tracy said. "As I said, this is a rumor. It's been going around for a while, but I don't know anybody respectable that believes it. But I thought I'd let you know."
It sounded crazy to Talia. She was reassured, a little, that Tracy, a highly trained biologist, thought the theory was crazy, too. But the upcoming meeting with the Tentacons unnerved her more than before.
Talia and Tracy ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.