"Brake down, Kit," Camilla instructed. "Let's settle this thing of timing first. I've got a theory, but I want some ideas from the rest of you." "Maybe something like this?" Clarrissa asked, after a few minutes of silence. "In many forms which metamorphose completely the change depends upon temperature. No change takes place as long as the temperature remains the same. Your TUUV could have been flitting around in a spaceship at constant temperature. Could this apply here, Cam, do you think?" "_Could_ it?" Kinnison exclaimed. "That's it, Chris, sure!" "That was my theory," Camilla said, still dubiously, "but there is no proof that it applies. Nadreck, do you know whether or not it applies to your neighbors?" "Unfortunately, I do not; but I can find out--by experiment if necessary." "It might be a good idea," Kinnison suggested. "Go on, Cam." "Assuming its truth, there is still left the problem of location, which Kit has just made infinitely worse than it was before. Con's and mine were so indefinite that they might possibly have been reconciled with Kat's precisely-known co-ordinates; but yours, Kit, is almost as definite as Kat's, and cannot possibly be made to agree with it. After all, you know, there are many planets peopled by races humanoid to ten places. And if there are four different races, none of them can be the one we want." "I don't believe it," Kit argued. "Not that I think on that peculiar band. I'm sure enough of my dope so that I want to cross-question Kat on hers. QX, Kat?" "Surely, Kit. Any questions you like." "Those minds both had plenty of jets--how do you know that he was telling you the truth? Did you drive in to see? Are you sure even that you saw his real shape?" "Certainly I'm sure of his shape!" Kathryn snapped. "If there had been any zones of compulsion around, I would have known it and got suspicious right then." "Maybe, and maybe not," Kit disagreed. "That might depend, you know, on how good the guy was who was putting out the zone." "Nuts!" Kathryn snorted, inelegantly. "But as to his telling the truth about his home planet--I'm not sure of that, no. I didn't check his channels. I was thinking about other things then." The Five knew that she had just left Mentor. "But why should he want to lie about a thing like that--he would have, though, at that. Good Boskonian technique." "Sure. In your official capacity of Co-ordinator, Dad, what do you think?" "The probability is that all those four forms of life belong on one planet. Your location must be wrong, Kat--he gave you the wrong galaxy, even. Too close to Trenco, too--Tregonsee and I both know that region like a book and no such variable is anywhere near there. We've got to find out all about that planet as soon as possible. Worsel, will you please get the charts of Kit's region? Kit, will you check with the planetographers of Klovia as to the variable stars anywhere near where you want them, and how many planets they've got? I'll call Tellus."