"Intelligent thinking, Jery Delvin," said the Martian. For a horrible moment, I thought he meant he'd caught onto my misinterpretation of my words. Then I knew all was well, relatively, as he went on. "As to the method of destruction, we leave it to you to choose. However, haste is of paramount importance to us." "Excuse me," I interrupted, "but would you answer me one probably idiotic question?" "If it is within my range of information," said the Martian. "Well, just why are you so set on getting rid of Baxter? Mind you, I have no overwhelming affection for him myself. But I can't figure your angle." "The motivation is the usual, basic one. Even you humans follow it: Survival." "Survival?" I repeated, blinking. "Philip Baxter possesses the knowledge of the method of our destruction," said the Martian. "That in itself is a bad thing, but he has two more things besides this knowledge that make his removal imperative. He also possesses the means and the intention of using this means." "What?" said Snow, losing the pedantic thread. "He means, honey, that Baxter's not only got the knowhow to bump off this bunch, but the wherewithal and the urge." "You Earthmen have a rather colorful succinctness of speech," the Martian observed. Snow looked at me for help. "We what?" I grinned at her despite our situation. "We talk purty," I interpreted. Then turning back to the Martian: "But if there cannot be physical contact between the races, why worry about Baxter? It seems to me that the worst he could do is snub you!" "I'd better give you a bit more detail." "Wait a minute." I held up a hand in protest. "If you tell me what Baxter knows then won't I be--" "A threat to us? No. I do not intend to tell you the specific manner in which we can be destroyed, simply the nature of the destruction." "All right. What?" "You're aware, of course, of the geocentric theory of the universe?" "Mmmm, I've heard of it. Isn't that the theory, once held by people on earth, that the Earth was the center of all creation, and the sun revolved around it, not vice-versa?" "That is the one. Now, though your race believed it to be a false theory--" "It is false!" I protested. "For Earth, yes. But not, you see, for Mars. This place where you now stand, this brief liaison-point between our dimension and yours, is the center of your physical universe." "You're crazy," I said. "Why, the sun alone is too massive to swing about this planet, let alone everything else! It'd be like a small boy trying to twirl a ten-ton boulder on the end of a rope; even if he managed, somehow, to get it started in motion, within ten seconds it'd be swinging him!" "And if this small boy had another ten-ton boulder on the other side of him?" "Well--uh ..." "And another one above, and below, and in all directions from him? What then?" I thought it over. "He'd be a mighty tired boy." "That is not funny." "It needs work," I admitted.