"I didn't," Eckisster said. "Your man, Kiffer, claimed that further information could be gained by subjecting the alien brains of the enemy to the radiation from their own projector. Since the psychological department has now discovered a method of bringing back the functional ability of the brain after exposure to the mindjammer effect, I didn't think it would be harmful to allow two of the aliens to be subjected to it again. Unfortunately, they died." "They _what_?" Bilford shouted the question. "Died, Bilford, _died_," Eckisster said. "They are both as dead as the surface of Syndor." "Good God!" Bilford said. "Perhaps a second exposure--" Suddenly he jammed a finger down on his cutoff, and his image vanished from the conference room. "What was the reason for that?" Eckisster wanted to know. "He's just released the first batch of men from the hospital for active duty," said Fleet Commander Allerdyce. "If that thing _is_ the mindjammer, and those men are exposed again--Excuse me." His own finger touched the cutoff, and his image flickered out. Eckisster looked at Roysland. "Well, sir?" Roysland shook his head. "I didn't expect that," he said. "I honestly didn't expect that." "I know you didn't," Eckisster said softly. "I know you didn't. But look at it this way: It's data. And we need data." "I know," Roysland said. "It's not that. Excuse me; I've got to think." He slammed his hand down, and the whole group collapsed into nothingness. * * * * * "_What?_" asked Commander Allerdyce. "I said," Roysland repeated, "that I think I have the answer to something that was brought up in the meeting last night. And I want you to give me permission to take the X-69 into enemy territory." "I will," Allerdyce said, "if you'll give me a good reason for going." "All I want is a sample of alien animal life. I think I know what's going on, but I'm not sure." Allerdyce shook his head. "We can't do it. We don't know where the enemy bases are, any more than the Enlissa know where our own planets are. We keep our subetheric devices shielded, and so do they. If we didn't, this would have ceased to be a spatial war long ago--you know that." "I know," Roysland admitted; "but we have prisoners; members of the enemy's armed forces. We can get our information from them." Allerdyce was still shaking his head. "How? They've been treated mentally against probing. They won't tell us where their home planets are, any more than our own men would--or _could_--tell them."