“All right then,” she replied impatiently, thinking fast, “say that I’ve received a report they might be particularly vulnerable to a new virus that’s just been isolated by our biomed division, and that I’m concerned for their welfare.”
The major chuckled. “That should confuse them. From what I hear, this isn’t an especially healthy climate for AAnn.” His tone changed to one of warning. “If you think they’re up to something, Administrator, and they are, they might still resist.”
“Have whoever picks them up say that I insist.”
He nodded tersely. “I’ll let you know when they’ve arrived.”
14
It did not take nearly as long as she had feared for the AAnn to be brought in. Like every other vehicle on Fluva that was designed to travel through the Viisiiviisii, that of the duly accredited Imperial observers was equipped with a specific identification and locator beacon. They showed up the following morning, short-tempered and out of sorts. With the AAnn, one expected nothing less.
She waited for them to be brought into her office. Thoughtfully, she had ordered in a couple of chairs with larger gaps in their seatbacks, to accommodate AAnn tails, which were thicker and more muscular than those of the Sakuntala. With plenty of other things to worry about even before the advent of the extremist Sakuntala uprising, she hadn’t wanted the belligerent reptiloids on Fluva. But the accreditation of AAnn observers preceded her appointment as administrator. Since then, several pairs of them had come and gone. She checked a hard copy. These two, Thessu and Jallrii, were the latest. Floral pharmaceuticals were the specific interest of these two, or so their official dossiers claimed. Try as she might, it was hard to envision a couple of cantankerous AAnn spending their time picking flowers.