hem to use
modern weapons on occasions of ceremony, of course."

"Of course," said Crownwall, then added, "It's too bad that you can't
provide them with live targets a little more often." He stifled a
shudder of distaste. "Tell me, Your Effulgence, does the Emperor's
race--the Master Race--also enjoy the type of civilization you have just
had demonstrated for me?"

"Oh, no. They are far too brutal, too morally degraded, to know anything
of these finer points of etiquette and propriety. They are really an
uncouth bunch. Why, do you know, I am certain that they would have had
the bad taste to use an energy weapon to dispose of the victim in a case
such as you just witnessed! They are really quite unfit to rule. They
can scarcely be called civilized at all. But we will soon put a stop to
all of that--your race and mine, of course."

"I sincerely hope so," said Crownwall.

* * * * *

Refreshments were served to His Effulgence and to Crownwall during the
trip, without interrupting the smooth progress of the sedan. The
soldiers of the cohort, the bearers and Ggaran continued to run--without
food, drink or, except for Ggaran, evidence of fatigue.

After several hours of travel, following Crownwall's directions, the
procession arrived at the copse in which he had concealed his small
transportation machine. The machine, for spatial mobility, was equipped
with the heavy and grossly inefficient anti-gravity field generator
developed by Kowalsky. It occupied ten times the space of the temporal
translation and coordination selection systems combined, but it had the
great advantage of being almost undetectable in use. It emitted no mass
or radiation.

After elaborate and lengthy farewells, Crownwall climbed into his
machine and fell gently up until he was out of the atmosphere, before
starting his enormous journey through time back to Earth. More quickly
than it had taken him to reach his ship from the palace of His
Effulgence, he was in the Council Chamber of the Confederation
Government of Earth, making a full report on his trip to Vega.

When he had finished, the President sighed deeply. "Well," he said, "we
gave you full plenipotentiary powers, so I suppose we'll have to stand
behind your agreements--especially in view of the fact that we'll
undoubtedly be blown into atoms if we don't. But from what you say, I'd
rather be in bed with a rattler than have a treaty with a Vegan. They
sound un