The Kamuniks tell Laureline that the Suffuss have reported a large gathering of Bagoulins in their segment. The passageways between the segments are home to the Zools – mute beings whose planet was destroyed thousands of years ago and who now act as maintenance personnel for Point Central. Laureline leaves the Earth segment with Diol and heads for the Kamunik segment. When she complains that the map is incomplete, the Shingouz tell her no such map exists. The map has a large unmarked white section. For a further payment of pearls they give her a map of Point Central. Using the Grumpy, Laureline pays them in Ebaba pearls and they suggest she tries asking the Kamuniks, allies of Earth. Laureline shows them the devastation wrought by the attack and asks them what they know. They have come to offer their services to the Ambassador as vendors of information. Three small aliens enter and introduce themselves as the Shingouz. Diol is horrified – each race usually stays in its segment and only communicates with the others via the screens. Suddenly there is a ring on the main lock chamber of the segment. There is one other survivor of the attack – Colonel Diol, the assistant head of protocol. Following them to their ship, he is captured and the ship blasts off into space.įreeing herself from her cocoon, Laureline is dismayed to discover Valérian has gone. Laureline is trapped by one of the cocoons so Valérian is forced to pursue the aliens, who have taken the Ambassador, alone. The cocoons envelop everyone present rendering them unconscious except for Valérian and Laureline who react in time to put their spacesuit helmets back on. The Ambassador begins his opening speech but, suddenly, the partition wall melts and a group of armed aliens burst in, opening fire with cocoon guns from Xoxos. Entering, they are greeted by the assembled dignitaries that occupy the segment. The astroship lands at Point Central and the three Terrans spacewalk to the Earth's segment.
He also entrusts Laureline with the source of their funds while they are on Point Central – a Grumpy Converter from Bluxte, a small hedgehog-like creature that can defecate multiple copies of anything it eats. He reminds the two young agents of the importance that he is protected.
He informs them that he intends to take advantage of the fact that it's Earth's turn to preside over the council at Point Central – he intends to bring order to the galaxy by proposing a federation with Earth as the keystone and police. Shortly before they arrive, the Ambassador calls them into his quarters for a meeting.
Valérian and Laureline are travelling to Point Central with Earth's new Ambassador.