ut violating the Book, without infecting a foreign
area of the galaxy with our conflict?"

"I think there is a way," the commander said. She twisted the sphere
slightly, and again the two tiny pips it held were caught squarely at
the intersection of the curving light traceries within it. "There is a
way," she said. "Give me a complete description of the clothing these
Earthmen wore, Daleb...."

A tapering, streamlined shape slid shadow-like across the face of an
undulating globular cluster, and then was swallowed quickly in the
strange gray void of hyper-space.

* * * * *

Mason and Judith waited outside the towering New United Nations
building in Greater San Francisco, their chauffeured government helio
parked on a sky-ramp adjacent to the three hundredth floor.

They waited for Kriijorl; they had been assigned, as Earthmen best
acquainted with the alien, as his official hosts during his stay on
their planet. Mason had protested, but Judith had kept the protests
from reaching the wrong ears.

"You won't make any mistakes. You're home, now!" she had whispered.
"After all, he's only human!"

It had been the first time Mason had heard a hint of levity in her
voice, and he had liked it, and decided to take the assignment
gracefully. And, the orders said, Sergeant Judith Kent went with the
assignment. Without Cain!

He hardly felt nervous at all as they waited for the Ihelian to leave
the General Council chamber.

"Wonder how he made out?" he said idly, offering the girl a
self-lighting cigarette. "Been in there for hours...."

"We'll know soon enough," she said. "But I--I personally can't
conceive of it, sir. Of course, the New-UN is very practiced in
dealing with all kinds of cultures. Remember the time they had with
those awful five-legged things from Canis Major? Wanted to trade all
the tritium we'd need to blow up a planet just for trees; because they
worshipped trees! Any and all kinds of trees...."

Mason smiled. He was good looking when he smiled and the Space-tension
was gone from his slate colored eyes. "I remember. But it looks as
though they're going to have the toughest time with somebody just like
us--two legs, two arms, oxygen-breathing.... Women, the man said. Just
what the devil does he expect us to do? Draft 'em? Have an
international lot drawing?"

* * * * *

She smoked quietly, and her gray eyes were thoughtful. "A matter of