which the two front feet could serve as an extra pair of hands when he chose to walk upright. What had once been the front feet, that is the third pair, had evolved into a pair of small hands with double thumbs, so that the Achernarians were the cleverest craftsmen in the Federation.

[9] It is interesting to note that the type of Achernarian who went in for political life consisted of those who in a more primitive state would have been known as drones.

He still had wings although they were no longer strong enough to support his body. He wore a robe which bore the same gold and brown markings as his body. It was difficult to tell when he was dressed and when he was not.

The advantages which evolution had granted the Achernarians had been accompanied by certain disadvantages. One had been a weakening of their many-faceted eyes, so that the Ambassador, like most of those from his planet, wore glasses. What had been gained in intelligence had been lost in physical strength; in spite of this, they were among the most ferocious of Federation citizens, the Achernarian soldiers wearing atomic-powered armor which made them almost invincible.

"Hello," Manning Draco said when he finally located the Ambassador. "May your day be filled with blossoms." It was a stock expression of politeness.

"It might be if I weren't interrupted so often," the Ambassador snapped. It was also normal for Achernarians to be irritable; if Seero Sna exceeded the norm it was a result of having been sent to Regulus. "What do you want, Terran?"

"I am here to observe the election," Manning said. "Consequently, I am interested in the fact that an Acruxian is the sole candidate for the Senate from here. I understand that this Dtilla Raishelle has called upon you."

"Yes."

"Why did he come to see you?"

"Because he's an idiot," the Ambassador said waspishly.[10] "On his first visit, he wanted to arrange a trade agreement with us. He seemed to be rather proud of a type of blossom grown on his home planet and thought he could sell them to us. He had a sample with him. It was horrible. I told him so. Nobody can match the quality of Achernarian blossoms."

[10] It is believed that there was a strain of wasp somewhere in Seero Sna's family line.

"That's certainly true," Manning said. "What about his second and third visits?"

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