Read the following passage and questions, then choose the right answer from options, the answer should be one of A, B, C, D.

<passage>:
You don't have to be crazy to be an earth diplomat—but on Groac it sure helps! It is clear you are in the hands of a dangerous lunatic. As always, the Groaci wish only friendship with the Terrestrials, but—" "Don't bother," Retief said. "You know what was in those files I looked over this morning." Retief turned at a sound behind him. Miss Meuhl was at the door, "Don't!" Retief jumped—too late. The door burst inward. A crowd of crested Groaci pressed into the room, "You can't offend the Groaci," Miss Meuhl said sharply. "Consul Whaffle would never have been so rude." "Are they? Are you sure you meant to go this far, Miss Meuhl? A squad of armed Groaci in the consulate?" Retief looked thoughtfully at Miss Meuhl. "You've been here on Groac rumors you've heard. This thing's coming out into the open, whatever you do. Don't add violation of the Consulate to the list of Groacian Groaci. I certainly hope you're not thinking of openly intruding—" "Why?" "The Groaci are a very sensitive race. They don't welcome outworlders raking up things. They've been gracious enough to let us live down the fact that Terrestrials subjected them to deep humiliation on one occasion." "You mean when they came looking for the cruiser?" dialect with difficulty. "My interest in local history." "The impossibility of access to outworlders. To depart quietly." "The necessity that I enter." "The specific instructions of the Archivist." The Groacian's voice rose windowless stucco facades lining the street, then started off in the direction of the Terrestrial Consulate General. The few Groacians on Groacian equivalent of a bar. Retief went in. "To enjoy a cooling drink," Retief said in Groacian, squatting down at "To not enjoy my poor offerings," the Groacian mumbled. "A pain in the digestive sacs to express regret." decide whether I like it." "To be grappled in by peace-keepers for poisoning of—foreigners." The barkeep looked around for support, found none. The Groaci customers, eyes elsewhere, were drifting away. Retief turned. A tall Groacian vibrated his mandibles in a gesture door. The other Groaci released him, hurried back inside. Retief looked at the weaving alien. "To begone, freak," the Groacian whispered. "To be pals," Retief said. "To be kind to dumb animals." "To have you hauled away to a stockyard, ill-odored foreign livestock." "To not endure such insolence!" The Groacian advanced toward Retief. Groacian. Retief stepped around him, seized his collar and yanked. The Groacian are two gentlemen waiting to see you. Groacian gentlemen." "Government men, I imagine. Word travels fast." Retief pulled off his cape. "This saves me the trouble of paying another call at the Foreign "I'm sure you don't. Come along. And bring an official recorder." Two Groaci wearing heavy eye-shields and elaborate crest ornaments indicative of rank rose as Retief entered the room. Neither offered a foreigner. A Terrestrial, to be precise. Investigation by my department indicates that the description of the culprit closely matches that of the Terrestrial Consul." episode! And you—" "Terrible? I understand that a Terrestrial task force stood off Groac and sent a delegation down to ask questions. They got some funny answers, and stayed on to dig around a little. After a week they left. Somewhat annoying to the Groaci, maybe—at the most. If they were innocent." paid its visit, and before the arrival of the first Terrestrial diplomatic mission." "This is an internal matter!" Fith cried, in his faint Groacian voice. "The new regime has shown itself most amiable to you Terrestrials. It has outdone itself—" Retief turned a steady look on Miss Meuhl. She closed her mouth. The curious looking creatures were captured. After being securely caged, they were exhibited to the gentle Groaci public. Hauled through the streets. Very educational, no doubt. A highly cultural show. "Funny thing about these animals. They wore clothes. They seemed to "No!" Fith gasped. "I must correct this terrible false impression at once." "False impression, hell," Retief said. "They were Terrans! A simple narco-interrogation would get that out of any Groacian who saw the parade." "Yes," Fith said weakly. "It is true, they were Terrestrials. But there Terrestrials ... were unharmed. Naturally, we feared them. They were strange to us. We had never before seen such beings." call, eh?" "We were afraid," Shluh said. "We are a simple people. We feared the strange creatures from the alien craft. We did not kill them, but we felt it was as well they ... did not survive. Then, when the warships The two Groacians exchanged looks. "Miss Meuhl," Retief said. "If I don't come back in a reasonable length A Groacian threw a switch. A weak bluish glow sprang up. Retief walked along the raised wooden catwalk, studying the ship. Empty "I advise you to remain very close to your consulate," Fith said. "I advise you to dismiss these fancies from your mind, and to enjoy the cultural aspects of life at Groac. Especially, I should not venture out of the city, or appear overly curious about matters of concern only to the Groacian government." hope—and that may give me the latitude I need." "You're still determined to make an issue of that incident!" Miss Meuhl snorted. "I really can hardly blame the Groaci. They are not a sophisticated race they had never before met aliens." "You're ready to forgive a great deal, Miss Meuhl. But it's not what happened nine years ago I'm concerned with. It's what's happening now. far. The cruiser itself must be somewhere near by. I want to know where!" "The Groaci don't know. They're a very cultured, gentle people. You can do irreparable harm to the reputation of Terrestrials if you insist—" "That's my decision," Retief said. "I have a job to do and we're "You and I are in a tight spot, Miss Meuhl. The logical next move for the Groaci is to dispose of both of us. We're the only ones who know what happened. Fith almost did the job this afternoon, but I bluffed him out—for the moment." blast in here and anyway, they won't make things worse by killing you. A force can be here in a week." "I'll do nothing of the sort! The Groaci are very fond of me! You ... Miss Meuhl, dozing in a chair, awoke with a start. She looked at "He's here now," Miss Meuhl said to the screen. She looked at Retief Retief looked at her levelly. "You've been a busy girl, Miss Meuhl. Did "Why, what is the meaning—" the Groacian Autonomy, I herewith accredit you as Terrestrial Consul to Groac, in accordance with the advices transmitted to my government

<question>:
What is the simplest description of what Miss Meuhl and Retief are in the minds of the Groacian race? Why is this significant to the story?

<options>:
A They are illegal space travelers. This is significant because the crimes of explorers like them are what prompted the Groaci to hide the first human cruiser that arrived.
B They are colonialists. This is significant because it is Miss Meuhl and Retief’s desire to colonize Groac that fuels the Groacian hatred of foreigners.
C They are slaves. This is significant because it helps the reader understand that Retief is lashing out as a result of being oppressed for so long.
D They are aliens. This is significant because Groacians see humans as alien to their planet, which helps the reader understand how prejudice develops on Groac.

<answer>:

D