Trade World Saga 1: Manual Interpretation Read Online Free Page B

head. Realizing what the teaching machine had given him, Andrew now wished only to get back to the university.
    "No, I do not," Andrew stated.
    "Has your planet had any travel in space and how much?" Rett asked.
    Andrew paused before replying. "We have sent manned probes to our moon and to some of this system’s planets and their moons. We have sent unmanned probes past all planets in our system and have sent two interstellar probes to a nearby star." Andrew didn't know how much this alien knew about Earth culture and thought it best to keep pretty close to historical fact. Andrew wasn't about to tell him that there had been no expeditions or probes for nearly forty years now, at least not since the last Mars mission in the early 30’s.
    "What method did these space vehicles use for movement?" Rett queried.
    "Most used chemical propulsion... but the two interstellar probes used some type of nuclear- ionic propulsion using Xenon accelerated by a strong electrical field." Andrew visualized strange visions of chemical propulsion and though the nuclear part seemed almost recognizable, the ionic method visualized with odd side thoughts at all and had to be referred to in my home language, not this garbage this alien was making me use but Xenon was clear as to what he actually called it…it translated to “a rare gas that does not mix well with other chemicals and releases a bluish-white light when flow magnetism is passed through it at low pressure.”
    How primitive, chemical, this "nuclear-ionic" was probably some odd variation not worth my time, Rett thought. These people did pretty good to travel to any of their planets using chemical means. Rett thought about how his people had leaped into space in their early industrial age because of power supplies and field generators given by visitors to his planet. His people had traveled in space for many hundreds of years. How terrible it must be to live so close to each other as he had seem indications of large groups of buildings in some areas of the planet before landing. How could one live with the ideas and opinions of others unless forced to by being planet bound with the thin air and weak gravity of this planet.
    "How long is your average life?" Rett asked, abruptly changing the subject.
    This fellow gets to the heart of our nature, Andrew thought as he prepared his answer; "About ninety revolutions of this planet around the sun," he answered stretching a bit since it was that only in the States and a few other countries.
    So brief, Rett thought, no wonder they quickly reached their level of technology. At least this means that they are better prepared to face death having so short a lifespan. Better to dispose of it now than to have it report my presence to its associates with some of the knowledge it has obtained through my language machine.
    Andrew became very uncomfortable after answering because the alien just stood there dully looking straight ahead and not saying anything. What is it thinking about? Maybe I ought to try the Me Tarzan, You Jane thing again. At least, it gave him a start last time.
    "My name is Andrew . What is your name?" Andrew asked trying to break the silence.
    Again, this implied intimacy, Rett thought and his outrage and indignation caused him to hasten his timetable for disposal of the native. Rett leaped forward and grabbed one of the native's arms while preparing to grab the other so he could render the soft-skinned, sickening sweet smelling native into small pieces.
    Damn, what did I say? Andrew thought as the alien jumped at him and grabbed him above his left elbow. The pain shot through him as he felt his left arm being crushed. Reflex came to his aid where calm rational thought had deserted him and cupping his right hand, he popped it over the alien's left ear hoping to rupture the eardrum. The alien let out an ear shattering bellow and clutched his damaged ear with its free hand but it tightened the grip on Andrew's arm.
    As the pain washed