“Maybe if I was running in armor and ran very fast and really rattled!”

I felt so fond of them both as I listened to them burbling nonsense. This was how meals were supposed to be. A sufficiency of healthy food, and comfortable conversation. “How’s the other thing?” I looked at Arete.

“Everything’s fine so far. No news expected until tonight,” she said. She didn’t look worried, and I couldn’t ask more in front of the others, but I assumed that meant Grandfather and Jathery had set off all right.

“Well, that seems like good progress with the ship,” I said. “It’s wonderful to think we’re going to meet the space humans. So exciting!”

“I want to meet them too,” Alkippe said.

“It seems the space humans may be stranger than we thought,” Dad said.

I nodded, thinking of Phila. “I expect they will be different.”

“Will they look different, like the Saeli?” Alkippe asked.

“No, they’ll look like ordinary humans, probably, but they’ll have all kinds of axioms about what’s important that are different,” I said.

“Yes, that’s it,” Dad said.

“Have you asked what kind of government they have?”

“Yes, but we didn’t understand the answer very well,” he said.

“An oligarchy with some democratic features, but not much control,” Arete said, as she scraped her bowl.

I tried to imagine that and couldn’t.

“I wonder what kind of people they’d send out to explore?” Alkippe asked. “I think it would be a fun job.”

“Well, mostly Silvers, I’d think,” Klymene said. “Maybe with some Golds in charge, and some Bronzes to run the technical side of the spaceship.”

“We don’t use Platonic classes at home, but that’s approximately how we crew our spaceships,” Slif said. “It’s the logical way of organizing things.”

“But they may have other kinds of people entirely,” Dad said.

“What kind?” Akamas asked.

“Tyrants. Timarchs. Oligarchs. Slaves. Remember that word profits?” Arete frowned down at her empty bowl.

“Where’s Grandma?” Alkippe interrupted.

“Out on the Excellence, getting it ready for a trip to Amazonia,” Dad said.

Arete stood up. “Where are you going?” Alkippe asked.

“I’m going home to sleep now,” Arete said.

“Are you going to fly?” Alkippe asked.

“Yes, I am,” she said, smiling down at Alkippe. “I’ll be back this evening. I’ll see you in Thessaly after dinner.”

“Thank you for all your help with English,” Slif said.

Arete went off towards the kitchen, carrying her dishes.

“Is the space human language difficult?” I asked Slif.