Edith's voice came from outside. "Don!" she called in a tight voice. "Don! Help me! _I can't move!_" "Try coming back here and see what happens," Donald said slowly. Edith's head appeared in the entrance. "I'm back," she said in a small voice. "I thought you would be. Now let's pack and perhaps they'll let us go. It's obvious that we can't run away." "But why? _What's happened to us?_" "If I told you, you'd think I'm crazy." "Tell me anyway. It can't be any worse than this." "I think," Donald said slowly as he began to roll up his sleeping bag, "that we were kidnapped by extraterrestrials." "Martians?" "Not necessarily," he said. "But if I remember my nightmare correctly, they aren't human--and they are obviously smart. So they aren't of this earth. We don't have intelligent reptiles here. And with their ability to control our actions, I'd say that they were from a considerably higher culture than ours. They've done things to us--but I don't think they did them just for fun. They want us to do something." "What?" "I don't know. Right now I'd guess they want us to pack our things. Let's do it and get out of here. This place smells like the reptile house in the zoo!" * * * * * I was amazed. The native's analysis was as logical as my own would have been under similar circumstances. There was nothing wrong with his mind or with his courage. That big braincase held a smoothly functioning mind and a cold courage I could almost envy. In a similar fix I wasn't sure that I could be so calm. My respect for him mounted. If there were others like him on this world, his race could be a potential danger spot for the whole Galaxy. And, with the natural antipathy between our races, these creatures could be _trouble_ if they ever reached space. I wondered for a moment if Authority had known this when It brought me here. There must be some design that I should land here when this race was still capable of being frustrated. For the sake of civilization I would have to learn more about these mammals. Much more. But since the male had deduced so much, there was only one logical course of action. I adjusted the filters on my helmet to allow the passage of surface thoughts, twisted the dials on the controller until the meters balanced and projected gently. "Donald--listen to me," I said. He stiffened. "I thought you would be somewhere around," he said. "Who are you?" "My name is Eu Kor, and I am a native of Thalassa." "Where's that?" "A good many spatial units from here--a good many of your light years," I amended. "I mean you no harm, but I need your cooperation. My spaceship is crippled. Our fuel has deteriorated. We need more and I want you to get it for us. We captured you because we need your help. Being a native you would not make a ripple in this society. And we would create whirlpools." "What is this material you want?"