"Yes, Mr. Smith," said Pauline and disappeared from the screen.
In a few moments, Smith was greeting a man of about fifty, gray at the temples to the point of appearing over-distinguished.
"Listen, Emil," he said, getting down to business after the amenities about families and children had been observed. "I have a case on my hands concerning a planet named Yoleen—"
The man on the screen was already nodding.
"Yes, I heard they were chewing you about that this morning," he said, smiling. "I trust you preserved some sort of sang-froid?"
"What's in their minds?" asked Smith.
"Oh ... it seems that the Space Force is nervous over the Yoleenites. They are unable to evaluate the culture comfortably. To cover themselves, I imagine, they send a warning now and then on the possibilities of hostile relations."
"Anything to it?"
Starke grimaced briefly.
"Unlikely. Some of the lads upstairs let it make them nervous."