To Choke an Ocean

He was a brave man who first ate an oyster. Brave alien, too, the way it happened. The alien potentate looked at me with an expression of disgust. "The first decent food thus far," he said, "and you attempt to send it away!" "Huh?" I exclaimed stupidly. "I didn't want to make you miserable." "Miserable! Hah! This dish is wonderful! What in the name of my First Ancestor is it?" His pleased grin was enough like a snarl to make Hartmann cringe in his chair. Since Kron and I were both speaking Niobian rather than Confed, he didn't understand what was happening. I suppose he thought that Kron was about to rip my throat out. It was a natural error, of course. You've seen a dog smile, and wondered what was going on behind the teeth? Well, Kron looked something like that. A Niobian with his dog-headed humanoid body is impressive under any conditions. When he smiles he can be downright frightening.