"You breathed it?"
"Approximately."
"Well . . . describe your physical reactions."
"No common physical referents."
"Any reaction, dammit!"
"Whip incompatible with my glssrrk."
"Your what?"
"No common referents."
"What was that green spray when it hit you?"
"Explain greenspray."
By referring to wavelengths and describing airborne water droplets, with a side excursion into wave and wind action, McKie thought he conveyed an approximate idea of green spray.
"You observe this phenomenon?" the Caleban asked.
"I saw it, yes."
"Extraordinary!"
McKie hesitated, an odd thought filling his mind. Could we be as insubstantial to Calebans as they appear to us?
He asked.
"All creatures possess substance relative to their own quantum existence," the Caleban said.
"But do you see our substance when you look at us?"
"Basic difficulty. Your species repeats this question. Possess no certain answer."
"Try to explain. Start by telling me about the green spray."
"Greenspray unknown phenomenon."
"But what could it be?"
"Perhaps interplanar phenomenon, reaction to exhalation of my substance."
"Is there a limit of how much of your substance you can exhale?"
"Quantum relationship defines limitations of your plane. Movement exists between planar origins. Movement changes referential relatives."
No constant referents? McKie wondered. But there had to be! He explored this aspect with the Caleban, questions and answers obviously making less and less sense to both of them.
"But there must be some constant!" McKie exploded.
"Connectives possess aspect of this constant you seek," the Caleban said.
"What are connectives?"
"No . . ."
"Referents!" McKie stormed. "Then why use the term?"
"Term approximates. Tangential occlusion another term expression something similar."
"Tangential occlusion," McKie muttered. Then, "tangential occlusion?"
"Fellow Caleban offers this term after discussion of problem with Laclac sentient possessing rare insight."
"One of you talked this over with a Laclac, eh? Who was this Laclac?"
"Ident.i.ty not conveyed, but occupation known and understandable."
"Oh? What was his occupation?"
"Dentist."
McKie exhaled a long, held breath, shook his head with bewilderment. "You understand -- dentist?"
"All species requiring ingestion of energy sources must reduce such sources to convenient form."
"You mean they bite?" McKie asked.
"Explain bite."
"I thought you understood dentist!"
"Dentist -- one who maintains system by which sentients shape energy for ingestion," the Caleban said.
"Tangential occlusion," McKie muttered. "Explain what you understand by occlusion."
"Proper matching of related parts in shaping system."
"We"re getting nowhere," McKie growled.
"Every creature somewhere," the Caleban said.
"But where? Where are you, for example?"
"Planar relationships unexplainable."