Too Soon For Home

Plot
Pextel and Erasaxo stay behind on their ship, while the other Voyagers get sent to campaign in various other countries for future ambassadors from Stato to arrive. Going through the ship's inventory, Pextel discovers that he has five spare bodies&mdash;but is on his last fuel rod! Erasaxo feverishly tries to establish contact with the Xylien base back on Statios, only to hear troubling news: they're stranded for at least three more months!

The Antian president, Jerry Frond, decides foolishly to send Viola to South Afralca. The natives are offended by her jive speech, and don't consider her to be as "one of us" as Frond assumed she'd be. Nevertheless, South Afralcan leaders begin to agree that Markerterion and Drizad are serious threats. Her campaign there becomes a success, though not everyone there is happy with her conservative views.

Pinkella is sent to Fralnce, where she succeeds in spite half the country's government being unnerved about the controversy she caused in Antia. Oceanoe gets sent to Branzil, but is soon chased out by Communist guerrillas. Marlack stays at the Voyagers' apartment, talking with the visiting governor of Talxas. Rhodney heads to Austrania, where he succeeds in his basic mission but is soon persecuted by Daldonists. He finds refuge in the home of a certain Cal Bacon, who tells him that Mitchell and Ronda have been looking forward to meeting all the Voyagers.

Liquidon gets sent to Bulgadia, and immediately wins favor with government officials in spite their distaste for Whixtitian Minshanism. He observes a woman in the streets one night, with eyes glowing bright green from a distance. She is soon attacked by muggers, who beat her and attack her with UV curing light guns. She cries out that she must feed, and that they should leave her alone. They say that they know her secret: being a vampire!

When it looks like they're about to rape her and then torture her with the UV guns some more, Liquidon comes to her rescue. She insists she needs blood, so he teleports her to a forest and then kills an owl for her to drink. She thanks him for his troubles, saying her name is Cindy. She claims to be looking for her sister, and takes Liquidon to an underground cave so they can talk some more without fear of sunlight. After spending two days and nights with Cindy, Liquidon vows that he will contact her if he ever does find this Sylvia Martius figure.

Pextel gets in touch with all the Voyagers, and they agree that it is too soon for them to go home; though they'd love to if only to get away from the harassment they face.