[ He'd have better material for a joke if the abduction and probing hadn't been the worst thing of all time. As it stands, those wounds are pretty fresh. John skims past it. ]

We really ought to take a poll. But there were some very impressive crashed spaceships lying around, a few months back. Which, personally, I'd take over this decor.

[ He spreads a hand to the utter, eerie uniformity of hedge. ]

Or do you mean according to which planet? We might have a few represented. [ In a tone still pitched towards casual, but perhaps less convincingly: ] If 'Nine Houses' rings a bell, let me know.