Entry 47

For a moment an awkward silence fell over the table. I could see from John's expression that he had a million questions, but he stayed quiet. He probably did not want to further antagonize Ven, who clearly did not like answering questions posed by John. Not for the first time I wished one of us was telepathic, so I could know what John was thinking and pose the questions he wanted to ask. All I could do now was guess.

"So when will this space station trip be?" I asked. John gave me a small smile, giving me confidence that I had asked a good question.

"Four standard days," Ven responded. I glanced blankly at Blaue.

"A standard day is thirty hours," Blaue answered my unspoken question.

"So in a standard day, you sleep eight hours and you're awake like twenty-two?" That was like an entire Earth day of being awake.

"Sleep cycles depend upon the person and the race, of course," Blaue said. "Ven sleeps about seven hours a night, and spends twenty-three awake." My eyebrows shot up. He was awake for almost twenty-four hours. It was going to take me a while to get used to such a schedule.

I glanced at John, wondering what he thought. Instead of increduality he shot me a stern look. I was getting off topic with my questions. He wanted to know more about the space station visit.

"Back to the space station," I said, turning my attention to Ven. "How long will we be there? Are you really going to let me and John wander around by ourselves?"

"Usually I spend an entire day on a space station," Ven answered. "It's nice to get out of the ship, no offense, Blaue."

"None taken," she responded with a smile. "I'm not very big."

"You and your androids may wander around, but I will also connect you to Blaue so she can monitor you, or so you can ask for her assistance and advice," Ven said. "This space station is not very large, but I imagine it might be a little, uh, overwhelming for someone used to a planet of only humans. I would not want you to wander into danger. Your android can protect you physically, but I don't imagine it has been programmed with much knowledge that does not deal with Earth."

"You would be correct," John concurred. "My knowledge of the universe is limited. I will have to learn as Carlee does." Ven ignored John's response, keeping his gaze firmly on me.

"Will we be in danger?" I asked, suddenly imagining Deep Space Nine with its many species and frequent dangers. "Will the Society be there? There won't be warrants for us will there?"

"No," Ven assured me. "The Society holds little power in the civilized Universe. Their true power lies in dominion over primitive planets: the containment laws and the like. They rarely tell anyone else when they lose property like you or your android. It makes them look bad. They don't like to lose face in front of the other universal organizations."

"Will you give us money?" I asked. "If we're going to wander around a space station, we'll need money for food and the like, right?"

"Blaue will take care of all of your transactions and make sure that you don't overspend," Ven said. "I'm not stupid. I don't give money to adolescent girls. My sister taught me that a long time ago." I sulked but did not mean it. I did not blame him. Scott always felt the same way. He always gave the money to John instead of me. Of course, John is generally more responsible than I am. Not because he is a boy, but because he is an android.

"So no shopping spree but other than that it seems fun," I said, glancing at John. He smiled at me, clearly pleased with my questions. I relaxed into my chair. John and I may not be telepathic, but we had our ways.