The Yillian Way

The Yillian Way is a science fiction short story by American author Keith Laumer. 

Here is a story starring the always unconventional Terrestrial Diplomat, Retief.

The ceremonious protocol of the Yills was impressive, colorful--and, in the long run, deadly!

Disagreement over protocol results in very interesting negotiations between representatives from Earth and Yill.

Junior Terran diplomat Jame Retief visits a government whose members seem determined to insult their delegation. This'll take some sharp thinking...

Keith Laumer (who spent time as a diplomat himself) is best known for his Retief and Bolo series. He combined humor with a sharp, even acrid view of humans as political creatures.

The Yillian Way was first published in Worlds of If, January 1962.

John Keith Laumer (1925-1993) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service.

Keith Laumer is known for the Bolo and Retief stories. The Bolo stories chronicle the evolution of super tanks that eventually become self-aware through the constant improvement resulting from centuries of intermittent warfare against various alien races. The Retief stories deals with the adventures of a cynical spacefaring diplomat who constantly has to overcome the red-tape-infused failures of people with names like Ambassador Grossblunder. The Retief stories were greatly influenced by Laumer's earlier career in the US Foreign Service.