"This the Fractious States of America and it's a REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY."

It's a toy store. There are stuffed animals, and giant piano keyboards you can walk on, and building blocks, and art kits, and bicycles, and jigsaw puzzles, and remote control cars.

... Wow.

Fractious, hah. Whoever named it had a sense of humor. "And who is in charge of this representative democracy?" Back home, there are leaders, in Laukera, there are leaders; even in the Unity of Man, there are leaders. All of them are representative democracies, even if the represent different people.

"The President!"

"Thank you." He is feeling strangely non-furious. "Do cars exist here? Do computers? Do robots? Does the internet? Do airplanes? Do spaceships?"

"Earth has cars and computers! Robots only kind of, not like good robots that can talk and stuff. Earth has internet and airplanes and not very many spaceships but some people went to the moon."

If Nau has to be the person to cause his entire civilization to exist because this is some stupid-ass stable time loop, he's going to include a mention of where to find The Terrible Awful No Good Planet That Breaks The Laws Of Physics in a sealed time capsule to be opened the day after he disappears.

"Thank you."

Fortunately, there are probably SMART PEOPLE on this planet, who will listen to him, because he is the good kind of robot that can talk and stuff. Unlike the Terrible Awful No Good Planet.

"What is worst about America?"

"I don't know, I'm only six and there's a lot of history."

"That is very fair." He'll pause briefly to try to think up another question.

"Why are you in this toy store?"

"I don't know. A minute ago I was in my city. Then Rinara and I were here."

"Wow!"

At this point Sophie returns with her mom. "- hello," says Sophie's mom.

"Greetings. I am Hegemon Nau of Profectus, often called the Traveler. This is my assistant, Rinara of Lemyrsh."

Huge fake dead animals full of fluff! Cubes in fancy colors! That weird black and red thing! Pictures! Gadgets! Bicycles! It's really cool!

"Hello."

"We have just been transported here through unknown means I would have believed were probably impossible yesterday, and looking for local guides to advise us in where we have landed and whether, for instance, travelers from distant worlds landing here is common." It was on the last planet, though only in a historical sense.

"Wow! No, that's not common at all, you're the first one I've ever heard of! I would have believed it was impossible yesterday too!" says Sophie's mom.

"Can you tell us more about the Fractious States of America? I - am confused to the point of not knowing what specifically I should ask about."

It's kind of amazing how differently he acts when he doesn't have thirteen hovertanks with plasma weapons under his telepathic control, isn't it.

"Gosh! I don't know what to tell you either but I suppose I can guess. There are fifty states. We're in Missouri, which is one of them. There's a President, and Congress, and a Supreme Court. We have a really big military. There's millions and millions of Americans. I don't know how many millions. A lot, probably, because I keep hearing things about how millions of Americans have diabetes or get the flu every year and I don't know anyone who has diabetes or gets the flu every year."

"- What language are we speaking? I don't think it's one I spoke yesterday."

How did she notice that first?

"Wow! Well, to me it sounds like you're speaking English but I'm less confident than I normally would be that that's what's really going on. I'm speaking English, too."

"I am speaking - a language I did not speak yesterday. I am not exactly thrilled about this." Someone is being entertained at his expense. Unfortunate.

"State is a - regional area smaller than a nation, and also a nation, in your language?"

"Missouri isn't a nation. I think it's sort of like a province but we don't call them provinces. Canada calls theirs provinces."