The admission seemed a great shock to Jandro, for his expression changed markedly. "I am sorry," he said, "if I have accused you of a claim you have not made. But I do not understand what you say. If you come from the Heaven World, take me there and help me return with the secrets to lift my people." "Heaven World?" Dreyer frowned. Jandro pointed toward the horizon where the planet of the Dragbora hung like a silver disk. "Why do you call it Heaven World?" Jandro looked up with both longing and bitterness before he spoke. "You did not come from there?" "No." "But you can go there in your metal?" "Yes." "Will you take me?" "That is not for me to say, but perhaps I can influence the others. Tell me why you want to go and why you call it Heaven World." "Long ago," said Jandro, "before men lived on Trear, they lived with the gods on Heaven World, but for rebellion and disobedience they were thrown down and exiled. Trear was a barren moon without life or materials. After many _dekara_ man succeeded in expanding the tiny seeds of life he had brought and grew the great forests. That gave us wood, and the deserts gave us glass. So we have built a world on the barren Trear, and have looked to the time when the gods shall lift us again to Heaven World. "That is the story the fathers have told, but I do not believe it," Jandro finished. "I do not know what to believe, except that I want the heritage of our home world to be restored to us." Dreyer related the story to his companions. "It sounds very much as if Jandro's ancestors were some refugee group that fled the planet before the destruction that consumed the atmosphere." "So he wants to go with us," Underwood said. "I wonder if he could be of any use to us in unraveling the secrets of the planet." "I'd like to use the request to bargain with him," said Dreyer. "I very much want to know why he cut out that organ and what he did with it. That surgical skill he exhibited didn't come instinctively." "It's all right with me," assented Underwood. * * * * * Dreyer addressed Jandro again. "It is that you may go to the planet with us. There's only one thing we'd like in return--information as to why you opened the corpse and removed the organ." "For the _discara_, of course. Oh! You mean you wish to present the apologetics?" Sudden expressions of understanding and of extreme puzzlement conflicted on his face. Dreyer fumbled an instant. "The apologetics? Yes, of course! We wish to present the apologetics." "Very well. You are guests of my house. My father will be pleased." Jandro wheeled his bicycle about and sped down the road. Dreyer told the others what had happened and set his scooter in motion in the direction taken by the stranger.