Read Online The Human Division #9: The Observers by John Scalzi - Free Book Online Page B

all, as the liaison between the observer mission and Abumwe. “Whatever you want or whatever questions you have, Wilson is here for you,” Abumwe said.
    Wilson nodded and shook hands with Liu and, as agreed to by Abumwe, addressed him in standard Chinese. “Welcome to our ship, and I look forward to assisting you however I may,” he said, to the diplomat.
    Liu smiled, glanced over to Abumwe and then turned his attention back to Wilson. “Thank you, Lieutenant,” he said. “I was not made aware that you spoke anything other than English.”
    Wilson waited for his BrainPal to translate and then thought up a response; his BrainPal translated it and gave him the pronunciation, which he then attempted. “I don’t,” he said. “The computer in my head is able to translate what you say and offers me a response in the same language. So you may talk to me in whatever language you like. However, I ask that you let me respond in English, because I am sure I am mangling your language right now.”
    Liu laughed. “Indeed you are,” he said, in unaccented English. “Your pronunciation is terrible. But I appreciate the effort. Can you do the same trick for my colleagues?”
    Wilson could and did, conversing briefly in Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic and German before bringing his attention to Lowen.
    “I don’t believe I need to do the translation trick with you,” he said to her.
    “Répète, s’il vous plaît?” Lowen said.
    “Uh,” Wilson said, and scrambled to respond in French.
    “No, no, I’m just messing with you,” Lowen said, quickly. “I’m from Colorado.”
    “We’ve known each other thirty seconds and already I can tell you’re difficult, Ms. Lowen,” Wilson said, testing.
    “I prefer to think of it as challenging, Lieutenant Wilson,” Lowen said. “I assumed you’d be able to handle it.”
    “I don’t mind,” Wilson assured her.
    “You sound midwesterny to me,” Lowen said. “Maybe Ohio?”
    “Indiana,” Wilson said.
    “Did you hear about the Cubs?” Lowen said.
    Wilson smiled. “I heard something about that, yes.”
    “They finally won a World Series and the world did not end,” Lowen said. “All those prophecies, shot to hell.”
    “Disappointing, really,” Wilson said.
    “Not to me,” Lowen said. “The Earth is where I keep all my stuff.”
    “You and Lieutenant Wilson seem to get along, Doctor Lowen,” Liu said, watching the exchange between the two.
    “We seem to speak each other’s language, yes,” Lowen said.
    “Perhaps you wouldn’t mind being our point person with the lieutenant,” Liu said. “It would be easier to route all our requests for him through a single person.”
    “If you like, Ambassador Liu,” Lowen said, and turned back to Wilson. “That work for you, Lieutenant?”
    “Will you submit all your requests in French?” Wilson asked.
    “If you really have a hankering to experience my genuinely atrocious high school French any more than you already have, then, sure,” Lowen said.
    “Then we have a deal,” Wilson said.
    “Merveilleux,” Lowen said.
    Wilson glanced over to Abumwe, whose expression was caught between amusement and annoyance. Well, you wanted me to make friends with the American, Wilson thought.

    The negotiations with the Burfinor did not go well.
    “We regret to inform you that our minister in charge of trade has said that the initial conditions for our negotiation are, in her mind, too unfavorable toward us,” said Blblllblblb Doodoodo, whose first name was most accurately pronounced by humans by rapidly moving their finger back and forth on their lips and then crooning the second half.
    “That is indeed regrettable,” Abumwe said. Wilson, who was in the back of the conference room, ready to give a report that he now suspected he would not give, could see the set in Abumwe’s jaw that signaled her irritation at this unexpected speed bump, but he did not imagine it was noticeable to anyone who hadn’t been with her for