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Here are some questions I came up with, as if humans had a chance to ask Kisara and/or Felix things about their universe.

How many planets are in your solar system? How many are inhabited?

Our system has seven major planets. All of them have at least one population center either on the planet itself or in orbit.

Is this where you did the transwarp tests?

No, that facility was far from inhabited space. There were only a couple of other bases in that system and none of them were civilian.

Kisara, do you and Felix have qualifications only in your respective fields (Transwarp engineering and starship operation, respectively)? Is there any overlap and if so, how much?

[Kisara] We both have similar levels of training in each area. Quite early in the project, we drifted into the engineering and flight portions of the development, respectively - although of course there was some overlap.

[Felix] I moved into the flight portion of the program, although I helped Kisara with the design continually. Either of us could have done what the other did, though it would have taken longer and there would have been more frustration involved.

Do you need clothes? Shoes?

If you mean, do we have a problem with people in just fur, then no. And, because most Katarans are acclimated to a relatively wide range of temperatures, we wear just a vest and short pants. We wear clothes mostly as personal fashion accessories, usually to complement our fur coloring and personalities. We need protective clothing for operation in certain environmental conditions. We usually don't wear footwear unless there's some need to protect our feet from damage, for instance in disaster areas or combat situations or anywhere else we might need it very quickly.

How often do you fight wars?

Generally they have become less frequent throughout our history. The last major one was World War V, which happened about three thousand years ago. It lasted about twenty minutes and perhaps fifty people died.

Your lifespans are much longer than humans' are. What about your physical development?

Our growth from childhood to adulthood is more linear than a human's. Our physical development is not as accelerated after the onset of puberty. The result is that we reach mental and physical maturity closer to the same times. For example, a twelve-year-old human and Kataran are similar in mental and physical development. The difference is that the Kataran will reach the human equivalent of eighteen at twenty to twenty-five years of age. Her mental development would be equal or superior to a human of that age.

What's the secret of happiness?

Go and be happy in the world for the rest of your life! Circular perhaps, but happiness is its own cause and its own reward.

Why are we here? Where are we going? How can we best enjoy the journey?

To help ourselves by helping others.

To help ourselves by helping others.

Help yourselves by helping others.

What's the most important thing you would have us know?

Motivation is the key to anything you want to do.

With some humans, the "facts of life" are a difficult subject to discuss with their children and discussing sex can be a huge taboo. How are these subjects in your culture?

We tend to be candid about such things. For one thing, we are mildly empathic, even our children, and they will pick up potentially confusing things from their elders. For another, we all have an excellent sense of smell, and, unless someone cleans themselves thoroughly after, others can tell that they've been intimate, how long ago, and often even with whom. We find it necessary that our children understand the reasoning behind these activities to at least a small extent.

_ You use the word "mate" to refer to a life partner as well as intimate activities with said partner. While I can understand this is generally acceptable in writing, it doesn't seem to be technically correct. Yes, "mate" is a perfectly fine term for a life partner. The way I see things, though, the verb form would be reserved for when there would be a reasonable chance of pregnancy. Otherwise, in my opinion, it would just be sex. _

That's a good point. Keep in mind though that various writers use different terms for sex: "pairing," or "coupling," for instance. I should point out that in Kataran there are specific words for intimacy with and without a reasonable chance for pregnancy; when translating I sometimes have to make do. On the other hand, the root forms of the words I used before, "pair" and "couple," are synonyms for "mate." I understand what you mean, though, that sex for pleasure and sex for reproduction are two specific concepts, although the latter can certainly include the former!

_ You've said that Katarans are far more comfortable unclothed than humans are. This helped me understand that our cultures are very different. How then do you handle sleeping together? For us, this has developed such a sexual connotation that it has completely overshadowed any other. _

Two Katarans being in proximity without clothing has no sexual overtones in itself; neither does the sharing of a sleeping space. This is done for several reasons: cramped quarters, ordinary affection, warmth, or loneliness. In parallel to an animal community, it is also regularly done irrespective of age and gender.

_ What forms of birth control do Katarans have? How is this handled on starships? Colony worlds and outposts? _

There are physical, chemical, and hybridized forms of birth control. Popular kinds include implants (think Intrauterine Device or IUD) and chemical cycle regulators (think The Pill). Hybrids would be like an implant that could be "turned on and off" by chemical injections or the user's thoughts. There are devices and chemicals that prevent the production of male reproductive cells as well. The vast majority of Kataran birth control methods, for both males and females, are completely reversible.

The way a hybrid implant would work is when a Kataran wanted to get pregnant, she would deactivate the implant shortly before she came in season. She could reactivate it at any time and if she did not, it would automatically reactivate when her cycle finished, should she not become pregnant. Otherwise, it would reactivate after her cubs were born. Because of the purpose of the implant, its default condition is active and it is much easier to activate than to deactivate.

Some implants suppress the reproductive cycles completely and others only prevent pregnancy during them. The kind used on starships and outposts cancel out the cycles completely because a female in season is not only distracted herself, but is a distraction to any adult male in range. These are usually mentally controlled because they need to remain operable should the crew be separated from their ship and technology. Further, should the crew believe they would be stranded indefinitely, they might wish to increase their numbers.

On colonies, implants are optional, but many colonists use birth control of some type because the colony will reach an ideal population at some point.

_ You both seem pretty straightlaced. Were you ever rebels? _

Funny you should mention that. Your question brings to mind an episode where we were not just rebellious but downright insubordinate. The Navy had just changed the uniforms and we didn't like the way they fit or something. So Kisara and I showed up for duty in just our fur. Well you can guess what the captain thought about that - he sent us back to put on our proper uniforms. The next day we replicated some fur dye and showed up with our uniforms painted on! That fooled the captain for about three seconds. Enough people didn't like the uniforms, though, and lodged protests and pulled stunts like ours, and the navy fixed the uniforms.

What variations in standards of living and quality of life are there for Katarans?

The variation in personal wealth is at least as great as on Earth. The difference is that Katarans with little money do not usually live in poverty/debt for several reasons: We are generally more adaptable and self sufficient. Our society does not put so much pressure on "underprivileged" and "at risk" people, and these people are usually capable of getting involved in improving their lot or are less affected by a "poor" lot than humans are. We also consider it a point of pride to live within our means. Even if a community of Katarans lives in caves a hundred miles from anywhere and lives off the land, they have at least one communicator among them that links to a satellite network. In an emergency, help is only a few moments away. These devices cost little or nothing and they are standard equipment for most remote communities.

Wealthy Katarans realize they have a responsibility to take care of those less well-off than they are. They even have genuine desire to spend money helping other people. There is a complementary array of private and government social programs and assistance packages. Neighborly assistance when necessary is alive and well, too. You could call it SocioCapitalism.

I'd also like to mention a group that I translate as Franciscans. These are individuals who have voluntarily given up all possessions - yes, clothing included - and make their way across the land offering assistance to others. Anything they are given - money, clothing, tools, etc - they keep only until they meet someone in need of it. They will also actively buy or trade for things that others need and give them out.

Do you have a ringworld? Could Katarans build a ringworld?

No, but we have a ring colony. It is built around an asteroid and houses about a hundred million people.

Could we build a ringworld? Possibly. We haven't done it because we don't need one.

And here are some points on being a master, from Peter Icefield

When did you first realize you were a master? How does one become a master?

Everyone has told me I'm an observant person pretty much my whole life. When I was sixteen I really began to notice I had insights that others didn't. I was able to understand many kinds of things very quickly. As time went on, I developed telekinetic and telepathic abilities. By eighteen, I had really started to be what I am now. I had built everything up to and including Titanic 2. Shortly after turning eighteen I built Lindbergh.

How does one become a master? Situational awareness. Situational awareness of everything around you, especially things relating to the non-physical world. This doesn't mean you should run out and join a church if you don't belong to one or join a cult or study the occult or anything like that. Just be aware of yourself and your surroundings. An important thing is to pay attention to people around you. Help them whenever you can, even if it's just giving directions or picking up something they've dropped. You never know when you will encounter someone who will give you additional insight into your life. These people will help you whether you know it or not. I remember being helped to gain insight into my life by many people, some I'd known all my life, others, no less significant, whom I've met quite recently. Everyone has something to learn from everyone they encounter, and, just as important, something to teach everyone they encounter. No meeting is insignificant. Oh, and reading Richard Bach and Lobsang Rampa helped me.