The native smiled. “Sorry, hon, but these, um, gentlemen, just sort of dropped hi on us. I promised them some ice cream.”
“I hope they like chocolate,” she said.
When they had been seated around the room, each being curling up according to the style fitting to its own physiognomy, Commander Rappan decided to break into the cheerful dialogue and get down to business. Fraternizing with the natives was all very well and good. No doubt the Xeno Department would approve. However, he was not so sure that his colleagues, hard-pressed to hold oft” the Yop waves, would see things hi the same way.
Unfortunately, this thing called ice cream got quite a grip on one’s attention.
Zinin was one of the few present to whom the concoction had pfoved unappealing. He leaned over and whispered to Phrnnx, “These are the deadly fighters we are supposed to enlist? Conquerors of the Veen fleets? Stuff of horror tales? Why, they look positively soft! I could crush that male under one paw. He hardly comes up to my eyes!”
“Few of us do, oh hulking one,” replied Phrnnx, adding a gesture indicative of second-degree ironic humor. “But that is hardly an indication one way or the other. Although I admit they do seem a bit on the pastoral side.”
Zinin snorted.
14
With Friends Like These , ..
“What star system are you folks from?’ Not all from the same, surelyl”
“Indeed,” said the Professor. It occurred to him what had troubled his thoughts ever since they had met these natives. For a race that had not had extra-planetary contact for umpti-thousand Ipas they were treating the crew of the Tpin like next-door neighbors who popped over for a visit every time-period. Even the sibling—where had he disappeared to?—had been fully self-possessed when confronted by what must be to him utterly strange beings. It was just a touch unnerving. “You might be interested to know that the Veen have been extinct for some 450,000 of your time-revolutions.”