"Not this baby," Bonner said. "It's military." He indicated a white line at the base of the skull. "That's where they blow up," he said. "There's a charge implanted there. And besides, it's as you say, sir, we shouldn't take chances." Bonner laid out a row of shining instruments, turned on the visual recorder over the table and went to work. "Hmm--must have been quite a bit of dissection here," he commented as he inspected the back of the head. "Poor job of suturing and lots of fibrous connective tissue, but it's healed well enough." He cut in delicately with a scalpel. "Oh-oh! Paydirt! Now wait a minute--let's find out where these leads go--hmm,--that'd be the spinal accessory nerve if this head were human, but with this fellow it might be anything." He swung an auto-camera into place and took a series of still pictures, probed the skull for a moment with a pair of long-jawed forceps and lifted out a tiny translucent capsule with a fused dark globule dangling below it. "Ah--here we are." He placed the capsule carefully in a cotton lined pan. "You'd better get that thing down to engineering," he said. "That's not my line. I'll finish this post while you're gone. I might find something of interest to report in the Medical Journal. Incidentally, that capsule was linked to the nerve over a micropore graft. I'm keeping that part for microdissection. It wouldn't do you any good." Fiske took the pan and left the surgery. Doc was right. This was the part that was his baby, not that ball of meat in there on the tray.... * * * * * Chief Engineer Sandoval took the pan gingerly. Setting it on a bench he peered at it thoughtfully. "Hmm, a sealed unit," he said. "We'll X-ray it first and maybe then we can do something about it." "Better disconnect that detonator, or the damn thing may blow your head off," Fiske advised. "Don't try to tell me my business, skipper," Sandoval grinned. "I was doing this when you were in knee pants. You go back and run the ship and me and my boys'll find out what makes this tick." Fiske grinned with mild embarrassment. "Okay, Sandy, I'm off to the ivory tower. Pass the word when you find what cooks." "Sure thing."... * * * * * Bonner reported nothing new on the brain. "It'll make a nice paper," he said, "but that's all. In fact I'd surmise that our own are a trifle more complex than theirs if convolutions have anything to do with mental power. The Eglan brain is rather simple in some aspects. But of course it's the relative weights of brain and cord that really count." "You're way over my head," Fiske said. "Incidentally, what did engineering find out about that gadget?" "No report as yet. I'll let you know if anything develops." Fiske cut Doc off the intercom as Chief Sandoval came in. Fiske looked at his grim face curiously. "What's the trouble?"