##
"Well, Scarf, have you finished reading that thing?" Narval impatiently bit a fingernail.
"Yessir, Mr. President."
"Well?"
"Sir?"
"What the hell do you mean by 'sir'? I asked for your opinion, dammit."
"Well, sir, he asks for an audience with you…"
Narval sighed. "Don't just repeat the message,
Scarf. Tell me what you know of this man."
Scarf's face lost its embarrassed flush and he hastily pulled a reader device from his pocket. Striking a series of keys, Scarf peered closely at the screen. He pointed to the reader as verification for his words.
"Ambassador Xindral is a senior Intelligence Officer assigned to Slingshot. That's about all we've got on him. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill diplomatic type."