It was when Stern stepped into the inner office that he got his big shock. The man sitting behind the desk was a pleasantly smiling individual with dark, close-cropped hair and a wide, easy smile. But Stern had seen that face before; it was the man who had killed Bargon Frosz; the man who had committed the crime for which Yorkan Varr had been condemned! * * * * * Stern's eyes widened, then he regained control of himself. "I'm Matt Skardoth," the man behind the desk said. His voice was deep, mellow. "Welcome to our little group, Mr.--ah--" "Stern." "Stern." Skardoth leaned forward. "You know, of course, what the aims of our organization are." "To build a ship and get off Earth, isn't it?" Stern said. He thought: _This is incredible. Here I am talking to the murderer whose rap I took, and--_ "Exactly," Skardoth said. "We've been exiled unjustly--and we're determined to take steps to save ourselves. You don't have to join us, but I think it's in your best interest to do so." It was at that point that Stern realized what the man behind the desk was doing. Matt Skardoth was the leader of the Group! And yet, Matt Skardoth had managed to murder Bargon Frosz and frame Yorkan Varr for the crime. And the murder had taken place less than six months before! Obviously, the man called Matt Skardoth had some way of getting off the planet Earth! John Stern had to clench his jaw muscles to keep from saying anything. If he were to denounce Skardoth now, without proof, it would probably cost him his life. He noticed that Skardoth was looking at him queerly, and he realized that he had been acting unusually. "What's the matter?" Skardoth asked. Smothering his hatred for the man who had falsely condemned him, Stern said: "Nothing--nothing. I'm just a little surprised, that's all. I thought this planet would be a living hell; a planet where I'd have to watch out for myself every moment. I'm glad to see that I was wrong, but it's a little shocking--that's all." Skardoth's smile returned. "That's natural; most of us feel that way." "I'm sure," Stern said. It took every bit of self-control he had to keep from leaping across the desk at the man. It was clear that the man had something else in mind than the freeing of people who had been condemned by the Council of Judges. What was it that Elizabeth had said? _All of us have been exiled illegally._ If that was true, it meant that Matt Skardoth was behind the illegal ostracism of every Condelarian citizen on the planet! And that was the main thing that held Stern back. If what he thought was actually true, then he was the only one who really knew what Matt Skardoth had done! And, by the way Skardoth was treating him, Skardoth didn't know that Stern was aware of his identity!