 Why do the Altairians let Zeckler go?
I've got three million credits sitting in the Terran Consulate on Altair V, just waiting for me to walk in and pick them up. They spread out from Terra with the first wave of exploration—the slick, fast-talking con-men who could work new territories unfettered by the legal restrictions that soon closed down the more established planets. The first men in were the richest out, and through some curious quirk of the Terrestrial mind, they knew they could count on Terran protection, however crooked and underhand their methods.
 They let Zeckler go because he is the best liar.
 They let Zeckler go because he did not murder any Altairians.  They let Zeckler go because he is the best liar.  They let Zeckler go because Altairian law doesn't apply to Earthmen.  They let Zeckler go because he converted to the religion of the Altairian Goddess.