Scott was unsure what to make of the proceedings, mainly because, to him, it was just a silent room filled with many of Charlotte's people. Although looking at some of the others present, Scott realized the term "race" was more loosely applicable among Charlotte's people than humanity. They were so diverse in appearance and function that it would probably be similar to every mammal from Earth being counted as one species. A few of them even triggered instinctive fear responses in a way that put Charlotte to shame, which was really saying something. The only thing they had in common was that they all appeared similar to arthropods, albeit in a very loose definition of the word.

And yet, despite the silent conversation around him, Scott felt as if he had a rough understanding of the flow of the discussion. Perhaps it was his time spent with Charlotte that enabled him to read some of the body language of the beings present, but he could sense that as the meeting went on, some of them began to look at him with nervousness or maybe even fear.

The idea of such large, nightmarish creatures that possessed bodies in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, fearing one lone unarmed human, was so absurd Scott had to fight the urge to laugh. Of course, he knew that if he was correct and they did indeed fear him, it was more of what he represented than his individual presence. Humanity would also have to come to terms with it once they discovered Charlotte's people. They weren't alone in the stars. Their self-perceived supremacy was being challenged, and that uncertainty naturally led to fear. The question was, were they inclined to give in to a fight or flight response the way humans were? If so, could Charlotte win their trust long enough to win them over, or would Scott have been more safe giving up and letting his grandfather take him?

Looking at Alice, Scott realized she didn't have that same option. If taken captive, the best she could hope for would be a quick death. More than likely, she'd be dissected or experimented upon. He shook his head. Thankfully, that was not currently a concern. Whatever challenges they'd face here, at least they had Charlotte to stand up for their interests.

That made Scott stop and wonder, when had he come to trust Charlotte so implicitly? They hadn't known each other all that long, but at the same time, they'd repeatedly been forced to place their trust in each other repeatedly in rather extreme circumstances. Time and again, Charlotte had proven worthy of that trust. He wondered if he'd done enough for the reverse to be true?

-

Charlotte's claim that Scott and Alice were like She to herself had certainly caused quite the stir. Not that it had been unexpected. After all, until now, they had reigned supreme and uncontested in the vastness of space. Yet now She'd discovered another space-faring sentient race, superior in as many ways as they are inferior to the She. The answer to one question might determine whether their inevitable relationship would be one of competition or symbiosis. Could the She accept them as their equals?

After an outburst, finally, one of the younger, more adaptable She, asked the question Charlotte knew was coming. "If She accepts and trusts these humans so much, why do they not speak for themselves?"

The gathered She turned to Charlotte, awaiting her response. Charlotte bowed as She answered. "Indeed, speaking with the humans Scott and Alice would be the quickest way to come to know and accept who the humans are, what they are capable of, and what they have to offer, but there are complications. While the one designated as Alice can speak like us to some extent due to modifications to her body, it is not her native form of communication, and She is not yet able to communicate as efficiently as a She. Additionally, She is early in her development, and her intellect is not yet that of an adult human. Thus, she is not the ideal candidate to speak to in order to best understand humans."

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The She that had first asked the question followed up with another. "If this is not how the humans communicate, then what is their native form of communication?"

Charlotte sent an affirmation of the validity of the point while she answered. "As I said, humans do not speak as we do. They communicate through a series of subtle and complex vibrations."

This drew the attention of one of the older She, who answered with disdain. "They bleat like animals in the field? Perhaps you have overstated their intelligence?"

Charlotte shook her head, a habit she'd developed living with humans, as She answered. "No. Most animals have a limited array of sounds to indicate basic ideas, such as a threat display or an attempt to attract a mate. Some more complex organisms may even communicate with other members of their species to organize hunting behaviors or to enable relationships within their community. Still, even the most complex we've encountered have a few dozen intonations they can convey at most. Thus far, I have determined humans have over one hundred and seventy thousand intonations, which can change meaning depending on the context, situations, tone, and even body language, giving them an almost limitless variety of ideas they can communicate through vibration."

That stunned the gathered She. For a being to even be able to comprehend a hundred and seventy thousand intonations, let alone give them variable meanings, was in some respects as complicated as managing an entire household of appendages. Perhaps not in raw computational power, but humans had other ways of making up for that, as Charlotte well knew. Still, now was time for her to introduce the next stage of her plan. "I have deciphered a large portion of their language and developed appendages that enable me to understand and communicate with them. I can share this information with the She, for any who wish to better get to know the humans, so they too might take a measure of what they have to offer our collective if we were so inclined to accept their help, and, in return, offer our own."

That brought up a new chorus of thoughts and debates until it was decided that due to the inefficiencies of human "speech," a few representatives would be chosen to speak with Scott and Alice. Charlotte, who had a vested interest in both parties, would act as a moderator to ensure things didn't get...too out of hand during discussions.

The representatives would be split between old and young, including the more adaptable She, who had first asked about Scott's speech, and the older She, who challenged Charlotte's interpretation of his intelligence. Charlotte wasn't as pleased about the second choice, but the gathering had been correct in that there is virtue in the elder's experiences just as there was in the greater adaptability of the younger generations. Besides, if Scott could address and quell the more antagonistic She's challenges, that would go a long way toward earning the respect of the rest of the council.

Meanwhile, a few She would be allowed to speak with Alice directly, though, in this instance, Charlotte was more protective and would only allow those who would not antagonize the girl to connect with her mind, citing that an unpleasant connection directly into her mind could result in corruption of her "larval" development, and as the first human She hybrid, such a risk was unacceptable. The council agreed that this was an appropriate compromise, at least for now.

Charlotte realized this would put significant pressure on Scott, which was unfortunate given the stresses he was already under, but she had to "have faith" that he would be up to the task. If not, She would seek voluntary exile with her humans. But without the resources of the collective behind her, her actions would be greatly limited going forward...