This diplomat had to be treated with kid gloves; my orders were clear on that. Trouble was my instructions from Earth didn't cover—

The Ambassador's Pet

By Alexander Blade

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy October 1957 Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

I picked up sealed orders at the Routing Desk of Space Service. They were addressed to Captain Johnny Martin of the spaceship 13-XV-1, which is my name and my ship.

They said:

Proceed to Aldebaran VII at once. You are to pick up an Aldebaranian ambassador and transfer him to Earth for high-level diplomatic talks.

You are to treat him with utmost courtesy. Relations between Earth and Aldebaran VII are in a very delicate state at this time.

The ambassador informs us he plans to bring a pet with him to Earth.

Pets, huh? I snorted a little and folded the orders away in my pocket. Well, I supposed it came in the line of duty. If they ordered me to ferry Aldebaranian pets, I'd ferry Aldebaranian pets. All in a day's work, I told myself.

I stopped off and had a couple of beers before returning to the ship. Meersal, my First Officer, was waiting for me.

"Well? Pick up the orders?"

I nodded. "Yep. Got 'em right here." I unfolded them and handed them over to him.

He ran his eyes over them quizzically. "Hokay," he said. "I guess we go to Aldebaran, huh?"

Our instructions came in detail a little while later. We were to hover over Aldebaran VII and give a special signal; a transfer-tug would come up to us from the surface and hand the Ambassador and his pet over to us. Under no conditions were we to land on Aldebaran VII itself; the natives would regard it as a breach of the truce that currently existed between their world and ours.

Okay, I thought. I didn't care.

I gave the orders to the crew at nightfall and we left Earth a little past midnight. Meersal had 

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