m is practically feudal. It's
technically backward. There's a landing grid, but space exports are
skins and metal ingots and practically nothing else. There is no
broadcast power. Strangers find the local customs difficult. There is no
town larger than twenty thousand people, and few approach that size.
Most settled places are mere villages near some feudal castle, and roads
are so few and bad that wheeled transport is rare."

He leaned back and said in a detached voice:

"I had a letter from there a couple of months ago. It was rather
arrogant. The writer was one Don Loris, and he explained that his
dignity would not let him make a commercial offer, but an electronic
engineer who put himself under his protection would not be the loser. He
signed himself prince of this, lord of that, baron of the other thing
and claimant to the dukedom of something else. Are you interested? No
kings on Darth, just feudal chiefs."

Hoddan thought it over.

"I'll go to Darth," he decided. "It's bound to be better than Zan, and
it can't be worse than Walden."

The ambassador looked impassive. An Embassy servant came in and offered
an indoor communicator. The ambassador put it to his ear. After a moment
he said:

"Show him in." He turned to Hoddan. "You did kick up a storm! The
Minister of State, no less, is here to demand your surrender. I'll
counter with a formal request for an exit-permit. I'll talk to you again
when he leaves."

* * * * *

Hoddan went out. He paced up and down the other room into which he was
shown. Darth wouldn't be in a Golden Age! He was wiser now than he'd
been this same morning. He recognized that he'd made mistakes. Now he
could see rather ruefully how completely improbable it was that anybody
could put across a technical device merely by proving its value, without
making anybody want it. He shook his head regretfully at the blunder.

The ambassador sent for him.

"I've had a pleasant time," he told Hoddan genially. "There was a
beautiful row. You've really scared people, Hoddan! You deserve well of
the republic! Every government and every person needs to be thoroughly
terrified occasionally. It limbers up the brain."

"Yes, sir," said Hoddan. "I've--"

"The planetary government," said the ambassador with relish, "insists
that you have to be locked up with the key thrown away. Because you know
how to make deathrays. I said it was nonsense, and you were a political
ref