"Huh," is the answer that gets, paired with Kaidan sitting forward enough to suggest that By's managed to draw his interest more strongly than he can quite mask. "The tech development angle alone I can see... but from what I've read, you had Betans show up before this, and you got along well enough to do what humans do with any, ah, physiologically compatible group of strangers." (Namely: we'll bang, OK?)

Setting aside the hand-reader, he wonders "So... why Cetaganda? Is it just a matter of admitting they're here and likely to win anyway?"