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We couldn’t pronounce their word for their species, which was something along the lines of those who think patiently—meaning very slowly. That was far too cumbersome for daily use, so the navy guys who’d discovered them called them the Sloths. The name stuck even though they didn’t resemble a Terran sloth even vaguely, other than moving slowly and thinking slower. Navy crews get a bit loopy when they’re away from their home planet too long and under constant threat of death, so we probably shouldn’t be too critical—or let them choose species names. But try arguing with a bunch of