This diplomat had to be treated with kid gloves; my orders were clear on that. Trouble was my instructions from Earth didn't cover--
[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.
_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.
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.
I gave the orders to the crew at nightfall and we left Earth a little past midnight. Meersal had already instructed the astrogator about our next destination and he had whipped up the course.
We did some hundred thousand miles on ion-drive and then, safely clear of the Earth's grav-field, converted over and popped into warp. Aldebaran lay three weeks ahead of us through hyperspace.
Earth and Aldebaran had first contact about 10 years before. I didn't know anything particular about the planet or its people--there are enough worlds in the galaxy so you don't get to know each type of alien there is. We had a special cabin ready aboard the ship for the Aldebaranian ambassador and his pet. Instructions told us to prepare a special fluorine atmosphere, which meant the Aldebaranians couldn't be much like us.