"So, since the Hyadeans weren't aware you had discovered them in their own cluster, the malfunctioning telepuppets could mean only one thing: They had stumbled upon our robots, reconciled themselves to the existence of another intelligent culture, and _purposely_ interfered with the operation of our team." "But why would they do that?" Carol asked, perplexed. "As I figured it, that action practically amounted to an engraved calling card--requesting our appearance in the interest of amiable relations." His final words rasped in his throat and he added remorsefully, "But I was wrong--oh, so wrong! It was only a trap. They just wanted to get us here so they could fire their opening shots!" * * * * * McAllister cut loose with a string of expletives. Mortimer only shook his head despondently. Carol spread her hands. "But why didn't you tell the rest of us what we were getting into?" Randall laughed in self-disparagement. "Oh, it was part of my grand strategy. I didn't want anybody along who knew what the real setup was. If this was going to be a try for peaceful contact, there'd be no room for possible hostile predispositions built up during nerve-wracking weeks of suspense while traveling to Four-B. "You see, I even allowed for the possibility that the aliens might be telepathic, or at least have long-range instruments which could dig into our minds. If so, I was determined they would find nothing there to touch off an incident. I went out of my way to pick McAllister and Mortimer, who wouldn't _fight_ their way out of a torn paper bag. I didn't want any trigger-happy, eager Bureau boys who might start fissioning at half critical mass." The pilot and ship systems officer grumbled, but sat still. "I wanted you along, Dave," Randall went on, "because you are dependable and reasonably pacifistic. And since you already knew, subconsciously, what the setup was, you'd be useful. Because if trouble developed it would break your conditioning." "And Carol." He smiled at the girl. "I brought her because I was aware of the tender sentiments between you two--perhaps even more aware than you yourselves were. If those Hyadeans _could_ see inside us, they'd know something of our gentler sentiments." Randall snorted. "But I guessed wrong. My entire strategy wasn't worth the brain it was dreamed up in. I led us into a trap. It was the Hyadeans who turned up in a ship bristling with laser weapons. They had not, after all, sent us an engraved come-and-get-acquainted card. Instead, it was come-into-my-parlor." Stewart was still having difficulty getting it straight in his mind. Somehow, it seemed there were still unanswered questions. But he felt too numb even to wonder about his dissatisfaction. "The upshot of everything," he said, "seems to be that we've had it. Even if that Hyadean ship doesn't finish us off, there's no way we can get a warning back home."