Mileina Vashti

It's been very tense here lately. What with one thing and another... I've been helping Papa down in engineering, but it's really a lost cause. I've been helping salvage a few parts, but it's lucky we have a new design half-built. He's sent me off to have a break now, so I was going to go and get something from the mess hall, but I can hear arguing down there... I think it's Mr. Erde and Mr. Lockon. So I went to go do some studying instead.

He's been going off on people a lot lately. It's not unreasonable-- what with Mr. Doctor and everything, everyone is stretched a little bit thin, but I wish I could do something to help...

Mr. Seiei's been looking a little sad as well. It's a little hard to tell with him, but I think Papa might have told him off. He hasn't been down in engineering as much as I expected.

I just hope everyone feels better by Christmas. I worked so hard to decorate, but in this state, the mistletoe is going to go completely unnoticed by everyone... I'll just have to make sure I get everyone excellent presents this year!

It seems as though the argument stopped suddenly, so maybe I'll go and see how Mr. Erde feels.

I can't believe my birthday is only less than two weeks away! I'm going to be twelve years old, and it's on the twelfth, so that's exciting, isn't it?

Mama says I can do something special... I'd like to do something with my friends, but I have so many ideas that I don't know how to narrow them down!

That's the second time I've been able to go to school because of a virus! I really did not mind this virus at all, everything was so interesting... Oh, that's right, I wanted to ask! Would anyone mind very much lending me some history or English books? I really haven't learned much about either at all! --Oh, I mean I can write of course but there aren't very many people here who are interested in literature! (I live with Papa and Mama on a colony outpost because Papa is a very good mechanic who's working on designing very wonderful things in space, so that's why I haven't been to a school like the school that was in the virus!) And I want to learn about literature because Pearl and I were talking about something during the virus (it's a secret!) and I would very much like to do it for real, even if we don't live very close to each other really.

Also I asked Papa about Hanukkah and he said that he thinks that his grandparents were Jewish but he did not see them very often when he was small, and his parents were scientists who were not religious, and that's why we've always just celebrated Christmas because that is what most of the others on the outpost celebrate. It's very interesting to learn about my family! Papa said he was from somewhere on the AEU-HRL border in the north where it is cold and snowy, I think that I would very much like to see snow someday.

Oh and, Mr. Doctor! I have some presents that I want to send to people that are on other worlds, if you are busy that is all right but otherwise could you help me with your wonderful ship?