“Hello, good morning.” Dale tried to remember other words he knew, but came up with nothing. Finally he shrugged—later on, he and Lyra could come up with a translation. “I know you can't understand me, so I'll be quick. Thank you all for coming out here to see me. I, um, I . . . this is unprecedented, we've always wondered if there were other civilizations out there, and I can't say how much it means to all of humanity to be the first man to have encountered one. I'm not the most qualified guy, but I'll do what I can. I hope you'll help me.” He took a deep breath, dredging the dusty corners of his brain for an appropriate way to end his speech, but couldn't come up with anything. He took a step back from the podium and glanced over at a row of chairs, before taking a seat next to Lyra. The chair was too short—uncomfortably so—and he wound up with his knees halfway up his chest.