"They cloned her? Are you sure?" Admiral Sarten leaned forward and fixed the diplomat with her famously intense grey-green gaze.
Isabela PerΓ³n nodded slowly, her smooth, meticulously rejuvenated features a tidal pool of conflicting emotions. "Yes, Admiral, it's hard to mistake a dog. Or, you know. Millions of them. Though I only saw dozens personally."
"Millions? Can we verify that? Or might they have just shown you those dozens as a power-play. I mean, the implications alone..."
PerΓ³n sighed, looking almost wistful. "I know. Seen in that light, it really is a masterstroke. 'We monitored your planet so closely that we could snatch the corpse of a dog from your orbit without you ever knowing. Our knowledge of biology, your biology, is so complete we could clone an entire Terran species from a single dead specimen. We know enough about your ecosystem to properly feed and care for the resulting pets.' And it goes on. I do understand. But there's another possibility, that while one should never take anything at face value in my business, that doesn't mean nothing is ever genuine. Or at least partially so."
The admiral looked away out the window, running one finger through the close-cropped mane of grey hair she famously refused to have rejuvenated back to its original youthful color. "You're saying, maybe they just really like dogs?"
The diplomat laughed, and performed a wonderfully elaborate shrug. "Who could blame them, really? Dogs are lovable creatures."
"Always been a cat person, myself," Sarten grumbled, though she did it with a small rueful smile. "I suppose it could be worse, though. As reminders of how advanced they are go, this is a fairly gentle one. You said you saw no visible weapons or military?"
"I didn't," PerΓ³n replied, "but then, if one were to wander through Tokyo or New York, how much evidence of militarization would be in evidence? Hell, in London and some other cities, the police don't even carry firearms the vast majority of the time."
"Still, it's encouraging, I hope. And the dogs, too." The admiral's smile quirked at the corner. "Did you pet any of them? Were they good boys?"
"Girls," the diplomat said with a small laugh. "They're all clones, with small variations worked in, so they're all female. And yes. They were very good girls. The best."
