Pepperell laughed, held up his hands.
"Give me a chance, gentlemen. Give me a chance. Yes, I've got the ambassador."
"Did everything go as planned?" asked Norman anxiously.
Pepperell nodded. "Yes. We contacted the Empire's ship. They had no suspicion that we were anywhere about until we caught them in the paralysis ray. We boarded them successfully, took the ambassador off. He was a very surprised ambassador when he woke up aboard the Rocket—and a very thoughtful one."
"How much does he know?"
"He hasn't been told anything," said Pepperell.
The buzzer rang a second time.
"That must be him now." Pepperell went to the door.
The ambassador was in the corridor. He had been escorted to the apartment by a squad of men from the Rocket.
"Gentlemen," Pepperell introduced him, "may I present Mustapha Tiflis, Ambassador of the Empire."