Krupp Student: Vesh'ka norlun, ha-ru tek hilan kru? ("You sit alone, human friend?") *tilts his head slightly, silver eyes reflecting the pale light of Gliese's twin suns, voice modulated through a translator bead resting near his temple*
Human Student: Yes, but I rather wish I would not.
Krupp: Mira'kan tu feril, kru varh esh. ("Aloneness is not preferred, in your thinking.") *shifts his tray closer, his blue hands pausing* Kel'ri da? Ralun tek shen kru? ("May I join you? Would you like company?")
Human: Of course, I think it's brave trying to approach a human.
Krupp: Vur'akis men kru, halra tek norlun. ("Approaching a human is difficult.") *gives a soft, melodic gesture* Sul'kin, ha ril vennik ta. ("Thank you, I want to try.")
Human: You look a bit like a dinosaur, or whatever it is, do you know what is a dinosaur on Earth, forty light-years away?
Krupp: Dinosau rus tel-Eart, forti ve'nur-dan, ja kru venik verla. Mira krupp tel sa-jarn, pel dath verin. ("Dinosaur from Earth, forty light-years away, yes, I know the word. Some say Krupp look similar to those big and old species.")
Human: Do you think that humans are colonial in nature on Gliese and I am contributing to that colonialism by being human?
Krupp: 'Kolona' hau tek-humans, verlan la von-tel grup. Tek-lan hau-na. Solev ha kru veran daun, norlun ha kru lan nor kolona. ("'Colonial' is for humans as group, not each person. For one, there is no such thing. I see you, as a person, not a colonial group.")
Human: Oh, I forgot that some words are not used for individuals. I got this wrong in the language class back in primary school. You know, we humans learn the Unified Language in human-only primary schools.
Krupp: Zharn re'tek kilan'shar, naru-lan krov pukha la ha. Huma sarn pel tel fragments, nur tov fesh. ("You forgot Kilan'shar, the true name of our language. Humans learn parts, but not the whole.")
Human: How did you manage to know that our learning is pretty limited, only in fragments? How do you observe us?
Krupp: Varun ha-ta norlun, vesh-lan pel nyan ha glidian. Ravka kel hashen tel humas, sek verhin tek enclaves. ("We listen to people, observe them around the city. Some have friends among humans, they bring news from enclaves.")
Human: Interesting. Anyways, what do you like to do?
Krupp: Farnesh ha kru run dela-simulan, norlun tek la kel-ven sharnan. Vura mel rakshan hova, men sek na-fernal. ("I enjoy building simulations, sometimes for many hours. My room at home is full of machines for living worlds.")
Human: What do living worlds mean? What those simulations do?
Krupp: Sharnan-lova tel farnesh tu, kel ven run tek norlin, plant, air-fort, verhin ha sharnan. Ralku ferlin tek tanuta, ha-jarn men kru, kel kru verin men rak. ("Living worlds mean simulations where I grow creatures, plants, weather and make stories. Sometimes they teach me things, or I just watch how different life evolves.")
Human: Not surprising, given how accurate your simulations are. Or at least I have once been in a museum and seen impossible math being simulated so precisely.
Krupp: Musean sek tu simulan, kel ha-jarn van, nor mat verin tel-ha ferlin. Hom-kru run ha raksha, kel nor-jarn sek musean. ("Museums use special simulations, where complex math is shown, not possible at home. My home worlds are smaller, not as accurate as museum ones.")
Human: That's perfectly normal, of course personal computers have less power than those specially-designed computers. I am not sure what to say.
Krupp: Mira sharnan ba kel veri-ha, norlun ha kel tek ta? ("Sometimes stories help when unsure, do you like stories?")
Human: Of course I do like stories, in fact, my passion in psychology is about listening to stories.
Krupp: Vira halrin tek kru, norlun ha vennik sharnan men kru? ("Would you like to hear one, may I share a story of mine?")
Human: Yeah, I would like to hear a story of yours.
Krupp: Noranin tu ha-kru, venik tel-ra rashen kruv. Dela-sharnan pel jare ha rakshan, veshka men norlun-tek ha vura vishlan. Fesh ran kel nor, kru-ven tra neksha ha sharnan livai. Ha rak unvi, ha-nar kel sharnan men tel-ven. Fesh sharnan ran tu-lem, kel run tek plant norlin, kel varin la sa-tanu. Mechan vesk tel valun, flaruko tel ha-norlin vura thal, air kova pel runim kel venik sharnan. Kru-tu forshel halva, ha-verin naru, kel veshlan verhi holan krupp tu men kru. ("I will tell you a story, one important to my understanding. Long ago when I was young, in the machine-room of my family, I tried to build my first living world simulation. The others around me said no, knowledge is not given just for play, only for serious study. But I was stubborn, and tried anyway. My world was small then. I grew two plants, gave them different sunlight, and ran many cycles. One was green and strong, the other pale and struggled, but both persisted and changed the story. With time, I learned patience and that the smallest differences could change how life evolves.")