“Highwaymen,” said Stetson.
“Raid itself,” said Orne. “An ancient Terran language corruption of road.”
“Yeah, yeah. But where’d all this translation griff put—”
“Don’t be impatient. Glass-blowing culture meant they were just out of the primitive stage. That, we could control. Next, he said their moon was Chiranachuruso, translated as The Limb of Victory. After that it just fell into place.”
“How?”
“The vertical-slit pupils of their eyes. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“Maybe. What’s it mean to you?”
“Night-hunting predator accustomed to dropping upon its victims from above. No other type of creature ever has had the vertical slit. And Tanub said himself that the Delphinus was hidden in the best place in all of their history. History? That’d be a high place. Dark, likewise. Ergo: a high place on the darkside of their moon.”
“I’m a pie-eyed greepus,” whispered Stetson.
Orne grinned, said: “You probably are ... sir.”