Albert Teichner

“ We have had five friendly, informative days with the people of a great civilization remarkably like ours, and President Hacker has radioed he understands perfectly that we were not responsible for the tragedy, nobody was. The kid, it seems, wasn't the apple of his eye anyway.
Ninety men and one corpse returning to the security of terra firma. I should, when all is said and done, be happy with the way most things have worked out. ”

“ All the Newtaneans were still meat-eaters. The main course was a small fowl, thoroughly browned in gravy. For me the most interesting thing about it was that four drumstick legs stuck out of each torso rather than the regulation two found on all earth-based birds. For Hacker, though, a more practical matter was involved.
"I'd sure like to try a helping of that bird," he said.
The two of us, naturally, were shocked. "That must have been a living creature once," said Barnes.
"So what?"
"Well, our civilization is essentially vegetarian. They just haven't reached our level as yet in that respect." ”

“ They rushed Hacker to a nearby treatment chamber. All I could do was wait, while the Newtanean leader explained that Hacker had told him we had authorized his trying the food. There was no need to doubt his story. It was just what the kid would have done. I did my best to assure him that we knew his intentions had been honorable.
A half-hour later Barnes returned, a robot platform following with Hacker, body covered by a preservative glaze, on it.
"Nothing can be done," he said. "I've tried everything. Hacker's too thoroughly dead for anything ever to bring him back. ”

“ Barnes. "They all seem to be left-handed."
"I don't see what's so interesting about that," Hacker snorted through his puggish nose. "I've seen left-handed people on Earth."
"Good for you," the doctor answered drily.
Hacker looked a little annoyed but for once managed to keep quiet.
I explained to the receiving delegation how hyper-radio contact could be established with our system for information exchanges and then told them tomorrow's group from Terra I would be much larger. It would be in a position to set out the technical arrangements in all the necessary detail. ”

“ And hyper-drive craft take an awful lot out of the economy."
The upshot of the matter was that we patriotically agreed to the setup. The captain gave Hacker a good chewing-out about respecting the rights of the Newtaneans.
The kid turned out to be surprisingly amenable on that score. "They're human!" he said, and I could see he was very sincere about it. "I wouldn't do anything to hurt them, sir. What's more, they must be almost as smart as we are and I'm not about to commit suicide."
So the three of us got into the jeep and rolled out of Terra I onto Newtane's soil. ”

“ Barnes is Chief Medical Officer. His protests should have mattered where mine didn't. "I'm a hundred per cent behind Johnson," he told Captain Weber. "That kid's no damned good. The three of us will go into town with these Newtaneans and, sure as I'm standing here, Hacker will do something wrong." ”

“ His great-great-uncle is President of the World Council. For all I know the old man hates his guts, won't listen to a word he says, but let's not take any chances. We're going to need plenty of these expeditions. ”