Still, his conceptions might be way out of line. The drindars of Hivehom, for example, though primitive dumb creatures, could conceivably fit the alien saddles.

They entered a new chamber, much larger than any they’d seen so far, and found long platforms and dozens of small saddles that were not fastened to the decking.

“A communal meeting hall,” suggested the second observer. “For the carrying out of clan rituals, perhaps?”

“Maybe,” the third murmured, “but something makes me think otherwise.”

They walked through it into still another room of uncertain function. It was filled with a profusion of portable devices. Rummaging through cabinets that opened to the touch, one of the subordinate Outsiders discovered a collection of what appeared to be personal items.

“Utensils, possibly,” suggested the first observer.

They crowded around the tiny collection of alien artifacts. There were open-ended containers and low-relief concave slabs of vitreous material. Nowhere did Broh see anything resembling a drinking vessel. Surely the crew of the ship consumed liquids, Broh thought.

They found other devices of obscure purpose, but a whole drawer was full of knives, something with an oval scoop attached to one end, and a multipronged tool that resembled a miniature fishing spear.

“I believe their intake would not prove entirely bizarre,” said the second observer. “It’s possible we might be able to eat some of the same food.”

That brought forth a thoroughly disgusted noise from one of the Outsiders, for which he promptly performed a gesture of third-degree apology, mixed with two degrees of embarrassment.

“An experiment that I would prefer to forgo for now,” Broh said, fighting to conceal his own distaste at the thought.

Since there was no other way out of the room they returned the way they’d come, through the chamber of the long platforms and inflexible stunted saddles, and into the corridor beyond.

They continued on into the bowels of the ship and soon found a new chamber filled with fresh mysteries. There were multiple platforms, but they differed considerably from those in the meeting hall. There were also small videoscreens and a great many garish objects decorating the walls. To everyone’s delight, these platforms resembled nothing so much as enormous sleeping lounges.

“The first real indication of any physical similarity,” said the Outside officer. “Perhaps they are more like us than we thought.”

“Then how do you explain those impossible little saddles?” asked one of the two subordinates.

“I don’t,” the officer replied. Without waiting for word from a member of the science council he elected to climb up onto one of the lounges, that being as good a name for them as anything.

“How is it?” the subordinate wondered.

“Almost normal. Comfortable, even.” He glanced over at his captain. “Permission to remove suits, sir.”

“I don’t know …”

The first observer nudged him. “Let him. The experiment should be tried. The air tests acceptably well.”

“If you concur,” Broh said reluctantly. He signed to the officer.

Carefully Anzeljermeit unsealed the right-center portion of his suit, exposing his thorax to the alien air. After an anxious pause, he did the same to the seals covering his spicules on the left side. His thorax pulsed.