With a clatter, she ladled a sparkling puddinglike glop in exquisitely even proportions across three plates. Then she added some kind of stringy green vegetable doused with golden syrup, and finally tiny braised cutlets of a grayish meat cut into precise equilateral triangles. She handed Otema the first plate. “You’ve been ambassador to the Hansa for years, ma’am, but have your travels ever taken you to the seven suns?”

“No. I am as fresh and as new on this journey as Nira is.”

Nira gratefully accepted her own plate, inhaling the delicious aromas.

“Well, you’ll find better cuisine in Mijistra, especially since you’ll be guests of the Mage-Imperator, but this is a bona-fide Ildiran feast.” She smeared one of the pots with her thick finger and licked off the juice. “Perfect.” Rlinda took her own plate and sat next to them at the crowded galley table.

Nira asked, “How many times have you been to Mijistra?”

“Four, and I loved it each time. I hope that with this load of Theron goods, I’ll be even more welcome there. The Ildirans don’t really mind our visits, you see, but they’re rather… unusual. Aliens—what can you say? It’s hard to tell whether they’re glad to have our business, or if they just tolerate us.”

“Even human cultures seem strange to one another,” Otema pointed out. “And Ildirans are not even members of our race.”

“Let me give you a crash course,” Rlinda said, “a few things you’ll need to know about the aliens. First off, the Ildirans are polymorphic, like dogs. They have many different breeds and body types, called kiths. A few of those kiths might look human, but don’t let that fool you. In fact, they’re very handsome—and I’ve heard tell they have all the right equipment, if you know what I mean, though I’ve never heard any proof of whether humans and Ildirans can actually interbreed.”

“That would be most unusual, genetically speaking,” Otema said.

“True, but I’ve seen plenty of unusual things. Different kiths have attributes and abilities that place them into appropriate castes in Ildiran society. Thinkers love being thinkers, workers love being workers, and so on.”

“Can the kiths interbreed?” Nira asked.

“Oh, certainly.” Rlinda tasted her triangular meat, then got up to acquire another dollop of sauce from her pans, which she scooped onto each of their plates. “Sometimes they mate out of love and attraction; other times it’s a conscious effort to enhance certain attributes. For instance, when nobles and soldiers interbreed, their offspring become officers in the Solar Navy. I’ve heard that the best singers and poets and artists are mongrel half-breeds, pulling together a genetic strength that the purebred castes don’t have.”

“Will we deal with many of these different kiths?” Otema asked. “Or just the leaders?”