"Wow! Where did you ever dig up that?" Mark turned white-faced to Carston.
"Vulc? He's a native of this planet, but more than that, he's our ambassador of peace!"
The Commander's crisp voice made further conversation impossible. "Single file, you men. Stay as close to each other as the sleds will permit. Carston, you stay in the middle, as usual, and watch out for the Blitzees. If you men work hard, we should be back within ten hours."
Silently the outer door of the lock slid open and the men began to file out, with the gigantic Vulc at the head. The brightness was intense, although they were on the planet's "dark side." Shimmering waves of heat danced before them over the flat terrain.
At the very end of the line Commander Cynthia kept pace with them.
"What did you mean by 'ambassado
