by Robin Roseau
"Oh. Three. Almost everyone gets one at sixteen or so. They only take a tiny bit off your apparent age, but it's the first time to get a little change. After that, you can go every five years. I went at twenty one, and then I got permission for an early one before coming here, because we were going to be so far from any facilities. In Talmonese years, I'm thirty-two."
"You're practically a child," I replied.
"So are you."
"Yeah, but you're a man. Thirty-two for a man is like fourteen for a woman."
He laughed nervously but nodded besides. "That sounds about right." He grinned. "I remember my friends in school. Their little sisters all seemed real grown up, long before I really was."
"Blaine!"
He chuckled. Disconcerted, I headed for the door.
"Chaladine," he added. "You're not the only one who can tease."
"I suppose I'm not," I threw over my shoulder.
* * * *
I had an amazing time with Maddalyn. She was momentarily surprised when she discovered we'd be sharing my room, but I gave her the look that Mordain always uses when she wants something. I was sure Mordain was better than I was at it. "It will be fun." She knew those words, and then she smiled and agreed.
"Fun."
At work, Cecilia used German with Maddalyn and Talmonese with me. We had suspended my English lessons until Maddalyn was gone; we wanted her to work on her Talmonese, and so we didn't want her to know I knew as much English as I did. But Cecilia refused to translate -- exactly as I'd asked her -- and so Maddalyn was stuck with Talmonese.
I introduced her to as much Talmonese lifestyle as I could. She'd gotten an introduction in Beacon Hill, but that had just been a few nights. This time, I had her for a much longer period, and I took advantage of it.
We didn't work every day of the week, either. Life on Talmon can be hard, but the planet's gifts are plentiful and easily harvested. Even in Indartha, with a much harder life than Sudden, there were days of relaxation. On those days, I arranged someone to take us hiking. One day it was Cecilia and Sartine. On the next, Hilopid arranged something with some friends of his, a mixed group of men and women.
Everyone treated both of us very kindly, and Maddalyn did very well during the hike. She was stronger than I was, I decided. I wondered if that was from her rejuvenation therapy.
I didn't have to teach her a word more than once, unless it had different meanings. This was no different from when we had taught Martha and Everett, but now I understood she was using her implant to keep help her remember. The implant couldn't translate for her, not the way she might have liked, and it didn't work the same as human memory. But somehow, it was able to store the words.
I asked Cecilia about that. "You have all this technology. Why don't you have this?"
"We do for some languages. We can translate from German to English, for instance, fairly reliably. But it's not just a matter of replacing the words. The endings change. The words come in different orders. The same words mean different things. There are idioms."
"What's that?"
"It's when the meaning of a phrase can't be determined from the individual words. Salt the truth, for example. In English, we might say it is raining cats and dogs. There are no animals falling from the sky; it just means it is raining very hard. And then there are words that don't translate directly. Or words that need additional context to be translated properly. In English, we might say 'I think'." She translated that into Talmonese. "In German, that really can translate into two different words, glauben or denken. It depends on whether you are talking about something you believe to be true, like I think wine taste better than beer. Or perhaps you are talking about the action of thinking, like, give me a moment to think. Now, if someone is speaking English more precisely, she might say I believe wine tastes better than beer. But chances are, she won't. Do you see?"
"I think so."
"Then it gets worse. People do not speak carefully. They run words together or drop syllables. They make mistakes in grammar. They speak in incomplete thoughts. And they use a great deal of tone and inflection. All of these make it even harder for a machine to translate accurately. Translations done this way can be accurate for a few sentences, but they can offer translations that are laughable and entirely wrong. And when you couple in slurred words or different accents, the programs just give up, doing nothing."
"So it's a hard problem."
"Yes. It's a hard problem, and it has to be solved for every pair of languages. I couldn't translate Talmonese into English and then into German as it would come out as incomprehensible. This is why when I translate, I listen to your complete sentence, and sometimes a great deal more than that, before I translate. Most of the time it is into English, so that isn't hard. It is lucky that I speak German as well as I do. And you should also know, translations I do are rarely perfect. Different languages have words with subtle meanings, and sometimes those subtle meanings are lost. Salt the truth is a good example, and when I translate that, I translate it directly and then find myself explaining it. But that's better than any English phrase available. To translate that as lying would be a mistake."
"Oh no, they aren't the same at all."
"Exactly. So you see."
"I see. But if it's so hard, why does my tablet speak Talmonese."
"It doesn't."
"But-"
"We hand-translated the phrases your tablet uses into Talmonese. But you have noticed that you have to push buttons on the screen. You cannot talk to it. It doesn't speak Talmonese the way you mean. It speaks Talmonese the same way it speaks Talmonese if I make a video of you and play it back."
"Oh."
"You have noticed Sartine using her implant."
"She talks to it. The rest of you cock your head, but you don't say any words." I paused. "She speaks Talmonese."
"Her implant is the most basic implant we could get. Most implants speak a language much in the fashion you believe I mean. Mine is exceedingly intelligent." She paused, smiled, and squirmed a little.
"What?"
"Minerva was listening. She just thanked me. And. Um. Rewarded me."
"Excuse me?"
"She tickled my brain. It felt good."
"Your implant can do that?"
She laughed. "Sartine's can't. I didn't know Minerva could, but it came in the updates I did five years ago. It was part of a group of enhancements, and I wanted a bunch of them, so I just took the entire group. It was cheaper than selecting only the ones I wanted, and I didn't pay as much attention to all of them as I should have." She smiled again. "Sartine's implant speaks to her like your tablet speaks to you. It understands certain phrases when she speaks them carefully, but it wouldn't understand your accent unless we trained it."
"I see."
"It's also capable of working based on thought, and it's trying to teach her to work that way, but that takes everyone years and years. The next time we go, she should be fluent in English, and we can get her an upgrade that is closer to mine. Although mine would overwhelm her, so only a little closer to mine. But I don't know if we'll ever have one that truly understands Talmonese the way mine does English. It's an expensive problem to solve."
* * * *
And so, all of that just to understand why Maddalyn didn't let her implant do the work of translating for her. She was going to have to learn Talmonese the hard way, the same way I was learning English. Her implant just helped her memory a little, but no differently than paper and pen would for me.
But two weeks of immersion in Talmonese worked wonders for her. It didn't hurt our friendship, either. We were more readily exchanging ideas, not complicated ideas, but ideas nevertheless.
* * * *
We talked about a great deal. I really did enjoy her company. Lying in bed a few nights before she was to leave, I asked her, "Maddalyn, how old are you?" She looked to be about Margotain's age, or even younger, but with rejuvenation, I couldn't tell. She didn't understand. I tried again.
"I am thirty one years old. I was a baby thirty-one years ago."
"Oh. I am... um. Forty-seven."
"Ah, so you have had rejuvenation many times?"
"Hmm? No. Two times. Not many."
"But- You waited?"
"Hmm," she said again, then her expression cleared. "Oh, sorry. Forty-seven years on Frantzworld. But Frantzworld star small. Frantzworld close to star. Year short."
And that I didn't understand. I admitted that.
"Hmm. I tell. Need tablet, please."
I rolled out of bed, grabbed my tablet, and handed it to her. But she handed it back. "Unlock please." I woke it up, and gave it back. Then she did a bunch of things and said, "Unlock again."
"It's already unlocked."
"Unlock again."
So I took the tablet and did what I normally do to unlock it, which involved my hand over the display.
"Thank you," she said. She pressed the screen a few more times, far faster than I could follow, and then she lowered her hand and closed her eyes.
And my tablet screen kept doing things.
"How are you doing that?"
"Implant. You give permission. Second unlock. I undo after. Safe." She worked with my tablet for a few minutes, then finally she leaned closer, sharing the tablet screen with both of us. "No touch," she said. "Implant."
The screen shifted, and I saw a black screen with a ball of fire in the middle and a bunch of white lights in the background.
"This Talmon star," she said.
I stared. "Real star or..."
"Real photo. Have other real photos, but put them together. So real. Not real."
"I see." I stared. "That's our sun."
"Yes. Talmon sun. Sun. Star. Same thing. Frantzland sun is star. Centos Four sun is star. Understand?"
"Yes."
"This Talmon system." Several much smaller balls appeared on the screen, spread out from the ball that was the sun. "Not know names, so call Talmon Star." The sun flashed brighter for a moment. "Talmon One." The closest dot flashed. "Talmon Two. Talmon Three. You see?"
"Yes."
"Talmon is Talmon Three. We here." She flashed the third little circle. "Then big space. Then big planets, called gas giants." She flashed several of the balls, none as big as the sun, but bigger than Talmon Three. "Then small cold planets again." She flashed them. "Then other things, more and more. Hundreds. Thousands maybe. Some like this." And a bright light moved into the screen, flashed past all the planets, went most of the way around the sun, then flashed back off the screen again. "You see?"
I turned to look at her. "How do you know all this?"
"Everyone know," she said. Then she realized what she had said. "Sorry."
"School?"
She nodded. "Not know Talmon. Know home world. Other worlds. All systems like this. Star. Planet, planet. Big gas giants. Other things. All worlds with man. Other worlds, no man, maybe star, gas giants. No good planets. Sometimes two star. But no man. Bad planets for man. You understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Planets not sit still like this. Must change picture." A moment later, the little balls began crawling in circles around the star. The one nearest the star went fast. The ones at the edge of the screen were barely moving.
"If planets not move, star eat them. Ball fall to ground. Planet fall to star. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Planets move. Each circle is one year." She traced her finger as Talmon Three did a circle. "One year.... two year.... three year. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Talmon One, small circle, short year. Talmon Six, big, big circle. Long year."
"Why?"
She scrunched her face. "Math. Physics." At least she said them in English. I knew the first word, but not the second. "Hard tell. Need know?"
I thought about it. "Another day."
"Another day," she agreed. "Okay. Talmon is Talmon Three. Cecilia Centos Four. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Not all star same. Talmon Star like Centos Four star. A little smaller. Only little smaller. Some star much bigger. Some star much smaller. Some star very, very big." She paused. "This picture wrong. Star this big, screen too small to show even Talmon One. Show ideas. Not perfect."
"I understand."
"Okay." She did something, and the screen changed. Only the star remained. "This size perfect now. Talmon Star." Then a second star appeared. It wasn't quite the same color, but I couldn't tell a difference in size. "Centos Star."
"Cecilia's star."
"Yes. Earth star." Another one added, and I stared. "Earth star?" I said it with awe.
"Yes. Earth bad place. Sad."
"I know. Cecilia explained once."
"This Frantz Star." And she showed a star that was noticeably smaller than the others, and it had a different color. "Not good star. Not white. Colors here different colors Frantzland. Sun different color. Sun smaller. Colder. Still very hot, but colder Talmon Star. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Frantzland is Frantz One."
She let it hang out there.
"Show." Most of the stars disappeared, and then she split the Frantz Star and Talmon Star. A planet appeared around each. "Talmon Three only," she said, and Talmon flashed. "Frantzland only. Watch."
Her planet was much closer to the star, and it circled around nearly twice before Talmon went around once.
"You see? Talmon year, one point seven nine Frantzland year. Forty-seven Frantzland year only twenty-six Talmon year."
She glanced at the tablet, and the screen went blank. Then she began driving it with her fingers again. She handed it to me. "Unlock please."
I did it numbly, and then a moment later, she handed it back. "I no talk you tablet now. Safe."
"You didn't have to."
"Yes, I do. Safe. Ask Cecilia. Too hard to tell."
"You're twenty-six."
"In your years. Yes. This big job my age. Aunt Anna trust me. I disappoint."
"No!" I said. "You do not disappoint. Cecilia said you are good at your job."
"Everyone hate me. You and Luradinine only friends." She rolled over to me and set her head on my shoulder. "Women in Sudden not talk me. I know bad Talmonese. No blame. But embassy people mean. Call names. Hatchet Face. I know what that means. Am I ugly?"
"No, Maddalyn. You aren't. You are beautiful."
She smiled. "Natural face. No change."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Only rejuvenation two times. First, small change. Hands." She held her hand up. It was delicate and lovely. "Had fat hands. Rejuvenation first time, always small change good."
"And the second time?"
"Had girlfriend." And that answered a question I hadn't asked. "Old. Rejuvenation. All young. Understand?"
"Yes. She looked old?"
"No. Looked.... Your age? But she old. Not know how old. She not say. My rejuvenation time come. She want me very young. Um. Not even thirty. Thirty in Frantzland years. Fifteen Talmon year."
"That young?"
"She go with me. Tell doctor age make me. I tell doctor bigger age. She angry. Send doctor away. She say, I do. This time, I not do."
"You fought."
"First fight. She say, I do. You see?"
"I see."
"I liked she say, I do. But she want me child. I not child. So finally she say, 'Fine'. But in way not fine. So I ask what else she want. What make her happy. And she smile. She say thirty-two. That... eighteen on Talmon. And big..." she held her hands in front of her chest. "Other changes. Bad changes. She say, I do. Doctor return. She smile. I smile. Tell doctor. Doctor do. Go home. Girlfriend see. Laugh. Throw my things at me. Close door."
"Oh honey!"
"Bad girlfriend."
"Horrible woman."
"She plan. Do that to me. Plan."
"Yes," I agreed. "But..." I gestured. "You're perfect."
She smiled. "You nice."
"How?"
"Go home to Mama. Tell Mama. I have
poor job, no money. Mama not rich. Rejuvenation free every nine Frantzland years, but not three weeks. Must pay. No money."
"This was nine years ago?"
"No. Almost three. Frantzland three. Two here."
"Two years ago?"
She nodded. "Mama help though. Mama tell Aunt Anna. Aunt Anna not aunt. She Mama aunt."
"I understand."
"Aunt Anna rich. Aunt Anna send ticket. Travel Tarriton to her."
"She doesn't live on Frantzland?"
"Tarriton now. Aunt Anna hug. Offer fix. Offer implant, too. Give choice. Fix free, I work her Tarriton five years. Five Tarriton years, same five Talmon years, almost."
"Okay."
"Implant expensive. Owe Aunt Anna thirty years pay."
I stared. "Thirty years?"
"Not so long. Good job. Good opportunity. I learn English Tarriton. Then Aunt Anna send me here. Cecilia Grace take care of me, she say." She sighed. "Governor Grace hates me. Everyone hates me."
"No, they don't," I said.
"They do! Even Governor Grace calls me names."
"Not anymore, she doesn't," I said. "Maddalyn, can I tell you a secret?"
"Secret?"
"Something you can't tell anyone else."
"Oh. Secret. Understand. Yes. Keep secret."
"I told Cecilia how she was treating you. She cried."
She scrunched her face, but she figured it out.
"She was ashamed," I said. "Do you know that word?"
"Disappointed self."
"Yes."
"That was the day we invited you here."
"She-" Maddalyn paused. "She call me Maddalyn now."
"She'll never call you anything bad, ever again," I said. "Neither will Blaine."
She smiled. "You yell at Blaine."
"I sure did."
"He still hate me. All hate me. Why, Chaladine?"
"They don't hate you." I thought about what she said. "When did you learn English?"
"On Tarriton. On Frantzland, no one speak English. Only German."
"Is it still hard for you?"
"Yes. I work very hard. Fluent, but hard."
"Does it give you headaches?"
She scrunched again, then nodded. "End of day. Talmonese too."
"Maddalyn, I don't know why they were mean. I can make guesses. Do you understand?"