Diplomatic Immunity

An enigmatic alien diplomat arrives in Washington, wearing a modest tweed suit but carrying the weight of a galaxy‑spanning empire. He claims to be an “ambassador‑at‑large,” sent to locate intelligent worlds and invite them into a vast interstellar organization. The United States, alarmed by the notion of compulsory membership, dispatches Colonel Cercy and a nervous scientist to confront the visitor in a secure State Department suite.

The alien explains a continuous, unjammable beacon that marks Earth’s discovery—a signal that will persist as long as he lives. Cercy, pistol in hand, demands that the transmission cease, fearing the loss of humanity’s freedom. The ambassador responds calmly, offering a philosophy meant to ease the inevitable transition and insisting that his diplomatic immunity protects him from any earthly reprisal.

The tense dialogue teeters between negotiation and showdown, leaving listeners to wonder whether a single shot can silence a message that reaches across light‑years, and what cost the world might pay for joining a galaxy it never chose.