The next day—two Ooafan days later—Nick sat down to talk with Grrmyip, one solitary alien to another.
"Hello, Ambassador Nick," Grrmyip barked.
Nick paused, surprised. Well...yeah, I guess I am the ambassador from Earth, at least for now. "Hello, Ambassador Grrmyip."
"Thank you for speaking with . I thought we beep get to know each other."
"I am happy to talk. I don't have any work to do at the mont."
"What work do you do?" Grrmyip asked.
Nick hesitated. "I help run the ship."
"I thought this ship is Goldaskian?"
"It is."
"Interesting. What do you do on the ship?"
Nick smiled. "I will not say."
The Arrurran ambassador paused. "Very well. I am curious. I use most of my ti talking with Oorafans. May I know your story?"
Nick shrugged. "There is not much to tell."
"I think that is very not true."
Nick could not quite get the impression of an affectionate dog out of his head, and smiled. He had a good feeling about the Arrurran. "All right, a simple story about ."
He leaned back, and scratched the back of his neck absently. "Well, I am an ordinary human from planet Earth. We only had first contact a year ago."
"I am sorry, what?"
"Humans t aliens for the first ti, one year ago. I was the first one they spoke to."
"Why you?"
Nick smiled. "I was there."
"Your world's technology is behind mine, yes? Will you tell how much technology you have?"
Nick thought, and couldn't see any reason not to. It would be fairly obvious if any Arrurrans traveled to Earth and saw for themselves. "We have heavy tal weapons. We have visited our moon but not yet other planets in our star system. We have computers that get faster and faster every year. All our computers are connected."
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"What do you use for energy?"
"A mix. Coal, oil, natural gas, solar, wind, nuclear..." Nick stopped when Petra beeped at nearly every word. "Let try again. Carbon is elent six, yes?"
"Yes, we know that word."
"Good. We burn carbon, mostly. We make solar panels..." Nick paused, but Petra knew the term well. "We use moving air, moving water. We have heavy tal power plants—" beep "—places to use heavy tals for energy. That is called 'nuclear power.'" Nick paused while Petra learned the term in Niranar.
"Do you use hydrogen for energy?" Grrmyip asked next.
"I'm...not sure."
"Hydrogen energy is hundreds tis bigger than elent 92 power."
Bigger than nuclear reactors? Oh! "You an fusion power. Fusion is what makes stars give light."
"Yes. Do you have fusion power?"
"Not yet. My people are working on it."
"Ah. So maybe my people can trade you fusion power beep for sothing."
"Reactors are machines to get energy out of sothing. Fusion reactors would be very helpful."
"I see."
"What about you?" Nick asked. "I assu...I think you have all technology that humans have. I see that you live on other worlds. I am guessing that your people are a hundred years ahead of mine."
"I think that is close to right."
"Ooafans I think are a hundred years behind mine."
"Interesting."
"And Goldaskians are, what, a hundred years ahead of you?"
Grrmyip twitched his head. "It is hard to know. Goldaskians say yes. And, there are other aliens out in the galaxy who are far ahead of the Goldaskians."
"Yes. I think not everyone shares technology."
"Of course." Grrmyip twitched a little. "Nick, do you have a space ship?"
"No. Well, this one."
"How did you get to Ooafa from Earth?"
Nick snorted. "By accident." He thought about what else to say. "I struggled...I worked to survive...I worked to live. Then I t the Ooafans."
"Nick, why do you have trouble with your language?"
"Um..." Nick paused, not wanting to ntion Petra. "I did not bring much with , when I traveled by accident. With warning...If I knew, I would get dictionary, science book, and more."
"How did you take this ship from the Goldaskians?"
Nick smiled. "What did the Ooafans say?"
"They say that you help very much."
"We were lucky." Petra beeped. Nick chewed his lip a mont, then said, "so things maybe good, maybe bad, yes?"
"Yes...?"
"All those things are good for us that day."
"Ah. You were 'lucky.' Do you know how lucky works?"
Nick froze. Did he just say what I think he said? Man, I wish I had a scientist from Earth here... "I do not know how luck works. So of my people know so of how luck works." Is he saying he knows statistics, or do his people have magic luck powers?
"That is another thing we can trade to you. Do you have things to trade to us, Nick?"
"I don't know, honestly...um, honestly ans I say good."
"It is good we say good, we are 'honestly.'"
"Honest. Yes. People at ho, on Earth, will know what we can trade. I want to go to Earth in a couple of months. It is a long trip, so first, we need to help the Ooafans get food and safety."
"I understand. May I go with you to Earth?"
"I think yes. My people will want to talk a lot with you."
"We are the sa. We have many, many questions." Grrmyip gave a small bark that didn't sound like a word, and Petra didn't translate it. "I also did not know I will go to be an ambassador."
"Gooraroo is your father?"
"Yes."
"Did he tell you to co?"
"Yes. He wanted to co, but he needs to stay ho."
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