Helena begins the chapter knowing that immediate fluent contact with the octopus captors is impossible. Unlike Avrana Kern during the old human-Portiid encounter, Helena has only her training, limited software, and Disra Senkovi’s records. Helena starts by handcrafting visual displays meant to show peace and goodwill, while Portia adapts systems to translate human speech into images the octopuses might understand.

As Helena observes the octopuses, Portia notices that the chamber’s strange rubbery protrusions may be consoles. Helena confirms a link between the octopuses’ physical interactions with those structures and a mathematical data channel. Helena tries using that channel to send astronomical and diplomatic concepts, but the medium proves too narrow for real conversation, and the octopuses begin losing interest.

Portia completes a system that turns Helena’s chosen words into colour-and-shape displays. Helena first simplifies her message into calm, peaceful sincerity, but the octopuses remain only mildly curious. Exhausted and frustrated, Helena accidentally mixes peaceful language with intense desperation, and the resulting complex emotional display suddenly catches the octopuses’ attention.

Helena realizes that simplifying her meaning may be the wrong approach because the octopuses communicate in rapid, layered, emotionally complex signals. Helena openly pours out fear, hunger, exhaustion, frustration, and worry for her crew. This fuller emotional expression prompts three octopuses to engage directly, overwhelming Helena’s translation system with anger, confusion, wonder, curiosity, threats, and demands.

Portia identifies part of the octopuses’ message as flight telemetry and concludes that the Lightfoot’s people have gone inward, which the octopuses oppose. The octopuses connect humans with an ancient danger, and new archival material appears: a recording tagged Yusuf Baltiel showing infection and violence. Helena understands that the octopuses fear the same infection that consumed Baltiel’s crew is still present on the inner planet and threatens both them and the Lightfoot.

Helena asks to warn her ship, emphasizing concern for her companions and the danger ahead. The octopuses react chaotically, fighting and signalling among themselves, but Portia finally reports that they have opened a communication channel.