Earthan n.

Friends, Earthans and our visitors from other planets, this is a great occasion.

A moment more, the earthans waited, listening, when Halley called suddenly, ‘Look-out, here they come!’

These Earthans looked like arthritic heptapussies with only four tentacles, the other three either cropped off (ugh!) or twined in a permanent tight knot at the tops of their bodies (double ugh!). When Sis first discovered that the Earthans had bones inside their tentacles she actually took sick!

The bakery’s trays were only half-filled and there were few Earthans about—sort of odd.

‘Art,’ he chided. ‘Speak Earthan.’ In my anger, I’d slipped back into Naabutari speech. In fact, when I calmed down a bit it surprised me how much it made my throat hurt to use the polyglot we jokingly called Earthan. I’d gotten unused to it. My own language had become the alien tongue.

Like I was telling you before, he’s a Lyolian. A Khatra’s a Fleet vehicle. He can’t be from the Fleet, because even though they call it the Federal Fleet, it’s pretty much run by Earth and only Earthans are allowed to be soldiers. He’s probably a smuggler.