"Shalom u-pharnassah tovah," Zivia corrects, emphasizing the long u and softening the p-sound into ph. "Sorry, yes, there are grammatical modifications -- I know them well enough to translate most of the time, but unfortunately not really well enough to teach them."

And she listens to the explanation about the Tradelines with growing interest. "That's fascinating. We don't have anything like that where I come from, as far as I know, even on a smaller scale ... An independent organization? Not run by any one of the colonies, or the -- whatever central civilization they came from?"