Chapter 20: Harmony

“The Administrator is very pleased with our progress,” Selkie said as they made their way to the shuttle. “Of course, he is mainly focused on continuing to develop the drone software, but Weaver has enough processing power that it could read the collective works of both our species while simultaneously performing sims to perfect drone guidance algorithms. There is no reason that the work need be interrupted. He is taking our recommendation to the Board, and with any luck, they will agree with our glowing assessment.”

“That’s good,” David replied. “Did he say when they intended to restore Weaver’s network access?”

“It will remain isolated in the containment chamber until the signing of the social contract,” Selkie replied as they exited into the bay between the towering Krell guards. “It could be some Mountains yet. The Administrator seems to be taking your quarantine seriously now that Weaver’s true nature has sunk in. That, or the Board has forced his hand. It is hard to say.”

“Better safe than sorry,” David muttered.

“You seem unhappy, David,” Selkie said as he paused by the craft’s open door. “Is this not all that we have worked for – to see Weaver recognized as a person?”

“That hasn’t happened yet,” David chided.

“If you are worried about us, I made sure to impress upon the Administrator how important your continued participation will be,” he added as he slithered into the shuttle. Out of view of the Krell now, he beckoned to David, retreating deeper into the cabin.

David felt his misgivings melt away as he followed his inside, almost as though he was leaving them behind in the facility. As Selkie had said, it was out of their hands now. All they could do was wait for the decision to come down from on high, so why not make the most of that time?

Selkie’s coloration only grew brighter as the shuttle pulled out of the bay, the craft turning in a different direction than usual, no doubt heading for the beachfront property that he had rented.

“So, what can you tell me about this place we’re going?” David asked, making casual conversation to mask his growing nerves. He wasn’t sure if he was excited, nervous, or a combination of both. There was little ambiguity now – no question about where the night would take them. This was something that Selkie had decided to do.

“It is similar to the structures you saw during your first journey to the city,” Selkie replied. “Wealthier Brokers have property in the reefs, and there are hotels and private residences that are sometimes rented out for leisure purposes.”

“I hope I’m not costing you too much money,” David added sheepishly.

“I see it as an investment,” the Broker said with a smile.

The shuttle soon took them into shallower water, colorful corals starting to dominate the environment as shafts of light poured in from above, shoals of fish darting out of the craft’s path. They docked in another of the small hangars, then proceeded on foot – if swimming could be described in such a way.

David bounded between the boulders where the corals and sponges made their homes, spotting another shreep that was grazing in the sea grass along the way, the creature followed by an army of smaller crabs that were sifting through the disturbed silt in its wake.

It wasn’t long before they began to see buildings, the concrete-like material blending with the reef, the domes and towers rising up towards the surface. The water was only maybe ten meters deep here, and some of the taller towers breached it, forming observation decks above the surf reminiscent of miniature versions of the restaurant they had visited.

Selkie led him away from the cluster of buildings, heading for a residence that was conspicuously apart from the rest. It was made up of a small cluster of dome-shaped structures and one cylindrical tower. Large windows peeked out from inside the furry covering of sea life, the boulders that surrounded it forming a kind of privacy screen that shielded it from view. It was a very Broker method of landscaping.

They approached the door of the nearest igloo-like building, and Selkie scanned his hand across a panel mounted beside it. No keys were necessary – it seemed that it was all handled through the chip embedded in his tentacle. The door slid open, and David noted that there were no airlocks or force fields. The pressure was neutral, and the temperature was balmy at these depths, so the water was allowed to circulate freely.

As they stepped inside, David was treated to another spectacle. It looked like an upscale condo in the Broker style that he had come to expect, but the round floor beneath his feet was made of varnished wood. Selkie noticed that his eyes were on the ground, chiming in with an explanation.

“It is sealed inside a hydrophobic varnish,” the Broker explained as his tentacles slithered across its lacquered surface. “As you can probably imagine, wood does not fare well underwater, and preparing it in such a way is a considerable expense.”

“I guess it’s kind of like how rich people show off with mahogany on Earth,” David said, feeling the slick material beneath his boots. It was as slippery as ice, but Brokers didn’t need to worry about traction when they could glue their suckers to the floor.

As he lifted his gaze, he saw that much of the furniture was made from the same material, the frames that supported the net chairs and the low tables carved from dark wood. It gave the place a rustic, aged appearance that the sterile décor of the Brokers usually lacked. The curving walls that culminated in the dome above his head were the expected white, with large windows that followed the contours of the building, the view outside reminding him of the aquariums that were so prevalent in deeper waters. This must be what they were attempting to replicate.

“So, this is how the other half lives?” David said as he completed a circuit of the room. He stopped to peer out of one of the windows, watching a shoal of tropical fish dart past beyond the glass.

“It is a little above my pay grade,” Selkie chuckled. “But for a single sleep cycle, it is more affordable. Come – I will give you a tour of the premises.”

There were four such domes spaced out around the base of the tower, each one just as lavishly furnished as the last. Beyond the lounge area was a kitchen building staffed by a drone, a relaxation room that was somewhere between the artificial caves in the research facility and a bedroom, and an entertainment center with one of the holographic projectors he had seen in Selkie’s apartment.

The tower at their center was an open shaft that led up above the surface, David following Selkie to the observation deck. Much like the mountainside restaurant, it was a saucer-shaped structure that overhung the tower below, the walls ringed with a seamless window that circled all the way around. The floor was lined with more decorative wood, and several netting couches had been arranged looking out over the ocean. It was only a meter or two above the waves, making David feel like he was on a yacht, the surf lapping at the building below. On the left side was a view of the open ocean – a few more observation decks jutting from the water, but none were close enough that their interiors were visible. To his right, maybe a hundred meters away, was the beach. The white sand led up to the jungle, the misty mountains rising beyond the trees.

“What do you think?” Selkie asked, watching him expectantly.

“It’s quite the view!” he declared, turning on the spot as he took it all in.

“Is it not? To think that some Brokers live in places like this.”

“I guess this is a mansion by Broker standards,” David said, walking over to get a closer look out of the nearest window. The ocean extended far into the distance, the way that the rolling mist obscured it making it look like it merged with the sky on the horizon. “It’s still underwater, though?”

“Oh, allow me,” Selkie said as he scuttled over to a console on the central pillar that ran from the floor to the ceiling. He manipulated the controls, then the water began to drain away, slowly receding from the ceiling.

David watched as it descended, passing his visor, then his chest. When it was past his knees, sections of the window that spanned the room began to flip open, letting the ocean breeze sweep through the newly-emptied lounge. He unfastened his helmet and slung it under his arm, taking in a breath of fresh, salty air as the wind ruffled his hair. He could hear the gentle sound of the ocean, as well as Selkie’s suckers as they popped off the polished floor, the Broker’s voice coming from the translator on his collar rather than his radio now.

“This section of the building can be drained – usually for dry meals or just so that guests can better appreciate the view. I can set the water level to whatever I please. You understand now why I found it so suitable for our needs.”

“Of course,” David replied, water still dripping from his suit. “It’s like the restaurant, but there won’t be any drones or holograms around to interrupt us.”

“What do you wish to do first?” Selkie asked, the wet splat of his tentacles on the floor announcing him as he moved over to join David. His coloration was as bright as his eyes, those horizontal pupils sparkling as he waited for a reply.

“Want to get something to eat?” David asked. “If you’re hungry enough, that is.”

“Indeed. I have not eaten this phase,” Selkie replied with a cheerful click of his beak. “There is no chef on the premises, so our food will be prepared by the kitchen drone, but it should be delicious nonetheless. Eating two dry meals in so few phases,” he tittered, lifting a hand to cover his mouth demurely. “It is downright decadent.”

“You deserve it,” David added. “You’ve worked so hard on the Weaver project, and you finally got the result you wanted. That’s worthy of celebrating.”

“Agreed,” he chirped.

Selkie led David over to a table beside one of the open sections of window, the pair sitting down on a horseshoe-shaped couch made of netting strung from a wooden frame that faced out over the ocean. David turned his face into the balmy breeze, the hot, humid air quickly filling the room. It was like being in a tropical resort at sunset, Trappist-1 bathing the world in its warm glow.

Just like in the restaurant, the table had a holographic interface that projected above its wood surface, allowing the diners to give commands to the robotic kitchen staff. As much as David had enjoyed the food the evening prior, he opted for something a little different this time, wanting to sample more Broker dishes.

The robots worked with an efficiency worthy of their namesake, and it wasn’t long before a drone rose up through the central shaft of the lounge, water dripping from its molded hull as it carried a sealed tray in its mechanical claws. It set its cargo down on the table, then hovered away again, only a gentle hum emanating from the strange device.

David lifted the cloche, releasing a plume of fragrant steam that was quickly whisked away by the gentle wind. Beneath it were several plates loaded with food. His eye was immediately drawn to the centerpiece – a fish as long as his forearm that had been stripped of its scales and cooked whole, the grill marks seared into its tender flesh. He could still see the fringe-like fin that ran along the length of its body, as well as the beak-like mouth parts and one glassy eye. It was resting on a bed of vegetables and sea fruits, and it had been dusted with herbs and spices. There was a fat glob of kelp butter nestled beside it, the sight making David’s mouth water.

They had ordered a whole feast, with side dishes of roasted root vegetables, more of the turkey-like bird meat for Selkie, and a whole host of appetizers in the form of sushi and crustacean meat that had been specially formulated for dry dining. Curious, he reached over and popped a piece of the sashimi into his mouth, noting that it had a completely different flavor profile from what he had been eating in the city below. There must be seasonings or food preparation techniques that were only used in this method of cooking.

They shared out the plates, but it was more of a buffet, the two sampling from whichever dishes they pleased. Selkie was not usually a big eater, but he seemed to enjoy the variety, letting his tentacles wander from plate to plate. David’s mammalian metabolism had him devouring most of the grilled fish, the meat reminding him of trout, the sea fruits giving it a citrus bite.

They chatted as they ate, the immovable sun making it difficult to tell how much time was passing, everything blending together in a way that he found pleasantly disorienting. Unless he checked his watch obsessively, it was almost possible to pretend that they were in a little time bubble, disconnected from all the problems and demands of reality outside the observation lounge.

“We also have aquariums!” David insisted, using the strange fork with the corkscrew handle to spear a piece of grilled fish. “Earth’s surface area is over seventy-percent ocean, you know. We have a whole host of sea life.”

“I should like to see such a thing,” the Broker chuckled, popping a piece of sushi wrapped in crunchy kelp into his beaked mouth.

“There are parts of coastal cities in some countries that ended up below sea level due to climate change, and they were converted into underwater museums. I visited one in New York where they’d built a whole covered walkway through the old streets – it was really something to see. It’s a lot like your transport tubes, actually, but filled with air instead of water.”

“A Broker could explore such a place freely,” Selkie added, reaching for one of the roasted vegetables. It was shaped like a carrot or a parsnip, and he held it in his face tentacles, slowly feeding it into his mouth like a giant French fry. “As much as I would love to see the homeworld of the humans, I do not think that I could tolerate the crowds. Perhaps someone will create a virtual tour someday.”

“Maybe you’d fare better in one of your suits?”

“They do make one feel rather secure,” he replied.

“Man, that was great,” David sighed as he leaned back into the stretchy netting. Even though it wasn’t designed for his anatomy, it wasn’t half bad out of the water if he was reclining to compensate for the low backrest. “Let me tell you – I’m going to miss Broker food when I have to go back to UN space. You should have seen what they were feeding us on the journey over here. I’m not looking forward to another few weeks of MREs.”

“A shame that we have no ingredients suitable to replicate human dishes,” Selkie added. “I should like to try some. If our food is enjoyable to you, then the same is likely true if the situation is reversed.”

“Man, I know this amazing seafood place that I’d love to take you,” David continued as he gazed out of the window. “Strange to think that I’m forty light-years from home, but in my head, I feel like I could be stepping out of my apartment tomorrow. The human brain wasn’t designed to account for the distances and situations that we subject it to these days.”

“I have never left my homeworld,” Selkie said, following David’s gaze as he admired the sunset. “I have never felt any particular need, and I do not think that many Brokers do. If we wish to experience something, we can usually do it through simulation. I do not have to travel to Harvest to walk along its beaches.”

“I take it that most Broker travel is motivated by profit, not wanderlust, then?”

“Prospectors and explorers are certainly interested more in staking their claim than satisfying their wanderlust, but I do not think such sentiments are absent in my people,” he replied. “Still, traversing the Galaxy in rickety ships that scarcely function only to found colonies on barely habitable planets is not in our nature.”

“Oh, our ships are rickety now?” David asked, feigning outrage.

“They leave something to be desired,” the alien added with a smirk.

“Yeah, I couldn’t even feel the engine or any turbulence during reentry in that silver cigar you guys had me flying in. It was a smooth ride, to say the least. Coming down in a human shuttle makes you feel like your teeth are going to get shaken out of your head.”

“I have great respect for the few who venture out into the Galaxy with only their exosuits to protect them,” Selkie said with an amused snap.

“It’s kind of sad, though,” David continued as he plucked another piece of sushi from the dwindling spread.

“How so?” Selkie asked, cocking his head.

“The idea that you can substitute real experiences for fake ones, I mean. Sure, you might be able to simulate rain and temperature changes with that fancy hologram system of yours – even tactile sensation – but you’re missing so many nuances from the real thing. For example,” he said, leaning forward in his seat as he made his point. “Let’s say that at the end of this meal, our surroundings faded away, and you found yourself back in your apartment. Could you have experienced all of the same sensations? The flavors of the food, the feeling of the breeze on your skin, and the netting beneath your tentacles – all of the little nuances that remind you that you’re alive.”

“I suppose not,” he conceded. “You must understand, however, that it is often the next best thing to reality. Not everyone can afford to take time away from their responsibilities and expend the necessary resources to travel for leisure. I cannot travel to Harvest for the simple enjoyment of it, but I can gain a good understanding of what the experience would be like from simulations.”

“What about romance?” David asked, remembering the relationship simulators that he had come across. “Surely you can’t simulate that?”

“You might be surprised,” Selkie said with a nervous chatter of his beak, his coloration starting to mottle as David broached what must be an embarrassing subject.

“Do Brokers simulate those things?” he asked, knowing the answer but wanting to learn more.

“Gods, what an embarrassing question!” the alien mumbled as he hid his face behind his hands. “You now know how difficult reproduction can be for my kind. One is rarely in close proximity to another person without special arrangement, and with contraception being so difficult and unreliable, it is always a ... dangerous prospect.”

“Hell, humans have a dozen safe and reliable contraceptive methods, but accidents still happen.”

“And we have far fewer,” Selkie continued. “Being... close with someone merely for recreation is rare. Without a marriage contract, if a brooding results, a female may be left with nobody to support her. Few males are willing to consent to such a binding agreement simply for fleeting pleasure.”

“If it went sideways, you’d have to spend two years of your life taking care of your partner,” David said with a nod. “You’d have to support her financially, take care of her during brooding, raise the kid. I can see why you consider hookups so risky.”

“Indeed,” he said with a flutter of dark coloration. “As a result, many relationships that develop remotely tend to remain that way.”

“Remotely?” David asked. “Like, long-distance relationships?”

“People who meet and interact through virtual means,” he explained. “You have experienced the holographic cavitation projectors for yourself. The visual and audio elements, the tactile quality – they can be ... convincing. It is somewhat of an open secret in Broker society that many people turn to virtual simulations and scenarios to satisfy their needs in a safe and controlled way.”

“Even Jeff?” David joked.

“Goodness, perhaps!” Selkie said as he giggled behind his hand. A little levity seemed to put him more at ease, like turning a valve to let out all of the building steam.

“How close to reality are we talking?” David pressed.

“Well, I-I would have no way of knowing,” Selkie stammered as pale bands of color swept up his mantle. “By that, I mean that I have no basis for comparison. What about you?” he added, turning the question around on him. “Is this something that humans do?”

“Our methods aren’t quite as sophisticated, but it’s been happening pretty much since the invention of the telephone,” David chuckled. “Same for, uh, simulations. There are a lot of reasons that people get lonely but might lack the ability to satisfy their needs.”

“Even with such an easy reproductive cycle?” Selkie asked. “One would expect them to be doing it all the time...”

“It’s not quite that simple,” he replied.

“What about you?” the Broker asked, peering back at him with his expressive eyes. His coloration was dark, as though the coming question was weighing on him. “If you can do it all the time...”

“Me? Nah,” he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I missed out on a lot of that stuff. I was always a lot younger than my peers, so they saw me as just a kid, really. By the time I had caught up, well, everyone else had moved on. Besides, you know how charming I can be.”

“Then ... you have never...”

“Once, a long time ago,” he replied. “So long ago that I hardly even remember it. Honestly, the time I’ve spent here with you is probably the most I’ve been away from work since I graduated college. I suppose I never gave myself time to be lonely.”

That seemed to alleviate Selkie’s concern, his coloration brightening again.

“Though we might be outwardly very different, and we come from very different societies, it never ceases to surprise me how similar many of our experiences have been.”

Selkie shuffled around the couch to get a little closer to him, and David responded in kind, meeting him near the middle of the horseshoe. The Broker’s tentacles were already starting to coil around his nearest leg, as though their movements were a subconscious manifestation of the alien’s desires, the slimy appendages weaving between the netting.

Selkie drew closer, the sunset reflecting off his shining skin to make it glisten, his soft lips parting in anticipation. As David leaned in, the Broker hesitated, seeming almost afraid to proceed.

“What’s wrong?” David asked.

“Forgive me,” Selkie stammered. “Everything was so spontaneous before – in the cave and in the restaurant. If we had never been interrupted in that booth, it would have been so perfect. Now, you must feel as though I have planned it all out, like my affection is nothing more than moves on a sea spire board. Does it still feel ... romantic?”

“Don’t worry – I like this,” David replied as he placed a reassuring hand on Selkie’s cheek. “It means that you’ve thought about it, and you’ve decided that this is what you really want. Do you have any idea how romantic renting out a seaside condo for the night would be to a human?”

“I suppose not,” he replied, his complexion regaining its gentle pastels. “Now that we are on the precipice, I cannot help but feel ... a little nervous. Is that normal? What if I do something wrong?” he added, his skin becoming more saturated again.

“Nothing about this is normal, and we can’t get it wrong,” David said with a smile. “We’re the first people to ever attempt this. If there are going to be any rules, we’re the ones who get to make them.”

“I ... may have done a little research in preparation,” Selkie admitted, embarrassment making his skin patchy as he averted his eyes. “Just anatomical information, and only enough that I could be certain that we were ... Gods, how do I put this?”

“Compatible?” David suggested, the Broker’s chromatophores pulsing with pale bands as though to mirror the quickening beat of his heart.

This time, Selkie lifted his face towards David’s without reservation, pushing through his prior hesitation. David felt the touch of the Broker’s pillow-soft lips, his radula probing his mouth as their pace became more heated. Selkie had accrued some experience over the last few phases, and he was becoming more adept with each session that he managed to snatch. Gentle moans emanated from him as David responded in kind, feeling the cool, damp lining of the alien’s mouth against his tongue. As always, Selkie was careful to keep his sharp beak clear, leaving only cushiony flesh almost too soft and delicate to be believed. It was so yielding – almost gelatinous – but that quality belied the iron strength that David knew his muscles to be capable of.

David cradled Selkie’s cheeks in his hands as they embraced, feeling those face-tentacles entwine with his fingers and coil down his forearms affectionately, smearing seafruit-scented mucus on his skin. They slid beneath the sleeves of his suit again, mapping him – tasting him.

A sudden urgency overcame David that he hadn’t felt before, and he drew back, hearing a lurid pop as Selkie’s pouty lips broke away. The alien remained there for a moment as though dazed, his sparkling eyes half-lidded, his shining lips subtly parted. David struggled to shift his weight in the unstable, stretchy netting, reaching for the zipper on the collar of his suit. One of Selkie’s arm-tentacles coiled around his wrist, becoming as strong as iron as the Broker dragged his hand away, replacing it with one of his own.

“L-let me,” Selkie stammered, bands of white lighting up his skin like a rave. He fumbled with it for a moment, then extended one of his wicked talons, using it to hook the zipper. His shining skin alight with excitement, he slowly dragged it down, employing more of his seemingly endless repertoire of tentacles to spread it open. David’s heaving chest exposed, Selkie began to slide the slimy appendages beneath the black garment, David resisting the urge to squirm at the tickling sensation. Like cool, wet tongues, they licked across his skin, painting him with that slick mucus as they went. He could feel Selkie’s suckers probing him, sticking to him, leaving pink marks in their wake.

Selkie began to slide into David’s lap now, pulling himself from his sitting position on the couch, a dozen slithering tentacles wrapping around the human’s limbs and creeping beneath his clothing. He was like an octopus clinging to its handler in a bid to escape its tank, David able to do nothing to ward him off with his paltry two arms. Selkie’s limbs wound through the holes in the netting, gluing both of them to the seat. Just like last time, it felt as though the Broker was trying to share his suit – attempting to climb inside it along with him.

“Hang on, hang on,” David gasped as he felt a probing appendage start to paw at the elastic waistband of his briefs. “Lemme get out of this suit while I still can.”

“Apologies,” Selkie stammered, starting to withdraw like a sea anemone pulling in its tendrils. “Am I proceeding too quickly?”

“No, I just feel like we’re going to be too tangled up for me to get out of this thing in a couple of minutes,” David replied as he rose to his feet. Selkie settled into the netting, his tentacles splayed out haphazardly, watching intently as his partner began to shed the garment. David shrugged off the top half, sliding his arms out of the sleeves, then placed a hand on the table to steady himself as he stepped out of the legs. He hastily folded the suit and set it on the table, then turned to face Selkie, finding the Broker already leaning towards him.

Flowing almost like a liquid, Selkie’s tentacles poured off the edge of the netting and onto the still-damp floor, snaking their way over to David’s legs. Like vines growing up the trunk of a tree, they began to climb, matting the human’s leg hair with slime as they crept higher. The alien’s eyes fixed on the conspicuous bulge that was tenting the fabric of David’s shorts, the questing tips of some of his limbs sliding beneath the hem, mapping out his inner thighs.

With an expression like he was unwrapping some new treasure for his collection, Selkie hooked two or three of the tentacles around the waistband and tugged it down, his lips parting in surprise as David’s shaft bounced free. David felt a little self-conscious just standing there with Selkie examining his pulsing member, but as his brain caught up, he saw that the Broker’s skin was a patchwork of flustered mottling and pale bands of excitement.

“Like in the files...” Selkie mumbled, dragging himself a little closer to the edge of the couch. After what felt like a good thirty seconds, Selkie’s glittering eyes finally wandered up to meet David’s, the sight of the alien peering up at him like that making David’s breath catch in his throat. “Can I ... touch it?”

“You don’t have to keep asking,” David replied breathlessly, his nerves lighting up like a switchboard as several of Selkie’s limbs began to creep towards his groin. They wormed their way up his thighs, one of them curling around his balls, the sensation of damp flesh gliding against his sensitive sack almost enough to make his legs give out. Two more began to wrap around his base, matting his sparse hair, spiraling around one another as they started to investigate his shaft. It felt like a pair of impossibly long tongues were sliding up his length, gliding on a layer of bubbling slime that was thicker and more slippery than saliva, tracing veins and sampling his skin with little kisses from their suckers. He was almost completely encompassed now, seeing only Selkie’s glistening, pink skin when he looked down.