«The Yillian Way» by Keith Laumer

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.