The Devagas meanwhile toiled prodigiously to complete the constructions which were to be a central feature in the new alliance. On a base very far removed from the Hub, on a base securely anchored and concealed among the gravitic swirlings and shiftings of a subspace turbulence area, virtually indetectable, the monster could make a very valuable partner. If it was discovered, the partnership could be disowned. So could the fact that they had constructed the substation for it--in itself a grave breach of Federation treaties. They built the substation. They built the armed subterranean observer's dome three days' travel away from it. The plasmoid was installed in its new quarters. It then requested the use of the Vishni Fleet people for further experimentation. The hierarchy was glad to grant the request. It would have had to get rid of those too well informed hirelings in any case. Having received its experimental material, the plasmoid requested the Devagas to stay away from the substation for a while. 27 The Devagas, said Lyad, while not too happy with their ally's increasingly independent attitude, were more anxious than ever to see the alliance progress to the working stage. As an indication of its potential usefulness, the monster had provided them with a variety of working plasmoid robots, built to their own specifications. "What kind of specifications?" Trigger inquired. Lyad hadn't learned in detail, but some of the robots appeared to have demonstrated rather alarming possibilities. Those possibilities, however, were precisely what intrigued the hierarchy most. Mantelish smacked his lips thoughtfully and shook his head. "Not good!" he said. "Not at all good! I'm beginning to think--" He paused a moment. "Go on, Lyad." The hierarchy was now giving renewed consideration to a curious request the plasmoid had made almost as soon as Balmordan became capable of understanding it. The request had been to find and destroy plasmoid 113-A. The Ermetyne's amber eyes switched to Trigger. "Shall I?" she asked. Trigger nodded. And a specific human being. The Devagas already had established that this human being must be Trigger Argee. "_What?_" Mantelish's thick white eyebrows shot up. "113-A we can understand--it is afraid of being in some way brought back under control. But why Trigger?" "Because," Lyad said carefully, "112 was aware that 113-A intended to condition Trigger into being its interpreter." Professor Mantelish's jaw dropped. He swung his head toward Trigger. "Is that true?" She nodded. "It's true, all right. We've been working on it, but we haven't got too far along. Tell you later. Go ahead, Lyad."