A laser pumping method pumps a primary amount of energy into the near red satellite band of a metal vapor and noble gas mixture laser medium and a lesser amount of energy is pumped into a highly excited level to stimulate laser output. The medium is can be a Rb vapor and Xe gas mixture. The lesser amount of energy is pumped into the laser medium to populate an excited level that lies above the upper laser level and transfers atomic or molecular population to the upper laser level by a nonradiative process. In preferred embodiments, the intermediate level is within a few kT of the upper laser level and the primary amount of energy is a large majority of the total energy. A laser device includes metal vapor and noble gas mixture laser medium to populate an intermediate level near an upper laser level, and pumping a lesser amount of energy into a highly excited level to stimulate laser output. The medium can be an Rb vapor and Xe gas mixture in preferred embodiments. A primary energy pump pumps population in a near red satellite band. A second energy pump having substantially less energy than the primary energy pump pumps population to a highly excited level.