A soft knock made Sarah jerk up. The Zyrgin would never knock that tentatively. The door opened and a tall woman shuffled into the room.
Sarah got up, glad she'd slept in her jeans. The woman looked terrified. At first, Sarah thought there was another human woman on this planet. Then she turned to face Sarah and the scarf slipped to reveal her bald head - unlike the Zyrgins, she had no ridge. Her skin tone was almost human. Almost. It was a rich, dark brown, but with a bright orange undertone, her eyes the same color. Like the Zyrgins, she had no brows or lashes. She was beautiful in an exotic way. The woman stood frozen.
Sarah said, "Hello, do you speak Standard Galactic?"
The woman jumped and bowed low. "Yes, Breeder of - "
Sarah held up her hand. "Please, not that again. I can't be called that by a fellow...female." She'd almost said fellow breeder and she absolutely refused to use such language about herself.