[AlwaysRock]

"probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

The two talking, and other races, are machines that cover themselves however they like. These two are machines with artificial skins. That is normal. Fully meat beings are not. At least that is how I always read this story.

[axus]

Machines with artificial skins? I'll have to re-read the story, I thought the "meat" was matter and the aliens were made of energy.

[outworlder]

No, it's literal meat that they have issues with. Machines are fine, hydrogen clusters are fine.