In the midst of all this confusion, Bigboss was only vaguely aware that the three impudent mobiles had slipped out of the ring of servitors and were returning swiftly to their Totem. Infuriated over the imminent loss of prey, he swiveled around in their direction. Again, however, he neglected his defense. And before he could trigger a charge at the fleeing things, Minnie's drill head whipped around in a level arc that snapped his blaster off at its socket and sent it hurtling across the plain. As she drew back for another blow, he lunged over and managed to grip her bit in his vise. With a violent twist, he broke it off at the chuck. Subdued finally, she withdrew. * * * * * "You saw it, didn't you?" Mittich demanded. Vrausot scratched his jaw with a rigid talon. "Interesting--that trouble between the aliens and their automatons. What interpretation do you put on it?" Pivoting on his tail, the other spun around from the screen to face the Chancellor. "That they don't even carry side arms. They had no defense whatsoever against their machines. If they were here looking for a fight, wouldn't they be armed at all times?" Vrausot expressed ridicule by tracing a circle with the tip of his tapering snout. "Mittich, you amuse me. Only one sunset ago you were bending my tail to make me believe they may be cunning; that they might have strung out a seine for us." "Yes?" the Assemblyman prompted, expecting more. "Now I simply extend your own logic back to you. They prepared that drama down there for our benefit--just in case we were watching. They _want_ us to believe they are stupid and helpless." Assemblyman Mittich laced the other with a calculating stare. He was aware of the heavy irony in Vrausot's hisses and clicks and he knew the Chancellor was only deriding him. "If I had to arrive at an alternate assessment, Assemblyman--" Vrausot paused and Mittich braced himself for more scorn. "It would be that the aliens are stupid, inept, blundering, defenseless. Actually, it would seem that they must have gained interstellar status only through accident." "Oh, no. We know _that_ isn't true." Ignoring the interruption, the Chancellor continued. "And they _were_ foolish enough to come here unarmed, apparently." But Mittich broke in again. "If I had attracted more votes in the Curule Assembly, we would have come unarmed too." "Ah! But we didn't. And do you know why? Because the Assembly really believes as I do, even though they might not have the courage to vote their convictions. That's why I'm going to exercise my own judgment--because I _know_ their subliminal disposition in this matter." * * * * * Mittich unhinged his jaw, conveying dismay. There was no doubt now what the Chancellor's intentions were. Oh, he would probably swim around cautiously for a while. But his final determination was already cloaked with inevitability.