"The Real Deal" by Peter Friend

A story about how relationships between two alien species can be mis-interpreted. A human and an alien being (dubbed 'Piccaso' because the individuals have a different number of limbs like in Piccaso paintings) find an 'artifact' (an ancient Piccaso ship) in space, a finding shared with other Picassos of the same family. After the ensuing celebrations over the discovery, the humans employed by the Picassos begin to fall ill and suspect a sinister purpose in being used by the Picassos. But the purpose turns out to be very different and has a link to the Picassos's unusual religion.

• Read from Asimov's Science Fiction, July 2005 issue