"Sir?"

Kingsley had not become wealthy by hesitating. "Take the rest of the boys and resume your normal stations. Stay there unless you're sent for."

"As you wish, sir. I protest, though." He gestured to the other five and, without taking their weapons off the alien, they began to edge out of the chamber.

"Oh, and Haddad?"

"Sir?"

"Call Martinez at stores and tell him it seems we won't be needing that cannon after all. Tell him just to get back here himself."

"Aye, sir."

The engineers had edged back and were slowly resuming their multiple conversations-quietly, this time.

"I've a million questions and no place marked 'begin the game here,' " began Chatham, "so ...

"A moment," said Peot solemnly. The eyes closed and the alien went incommunicado for several minutes while the humans shifted about restlessly. They reopened.

"There were a number of things I had to determine. It is difficult also for me to adjust to the span of time that has passed."

"No more so than it is for us to adjust to your presence," said Kitten.

"Perhaps not, small female. My Machine tells that I am the last of my race. This fact is not entirely unexpected, yet it is heavy on me."

"Characteristic number one," Porsupah whispered to Kitten.. "Facility for understatement."

"You might say that, and there's no point in you whispering, Pors."

The Tolian did a blush-equivalent.

"I am here now because the Machine felt it needful for the continuance of my work."

"Your work. What is your work?" Kingsley asked.

"I am a Guardian ...the Guardian."

"And what must you still guard ... after half a million years?" The small attempt. at levity fell fiat. The alien's visage did not encourage humor.

"The Vom."

"I see. The Vom. Pray tell,. what is the Vom? Or Voms, as the case may be."

"Long ago, my race encountered a being ... if 'being' is indeed the proper term ... so alien that we suspected it must have traveled here from another galaxy. Although the concept of crossing the intergalactic abyss was one before which even our finest minds shrank it always seemed the only rational explanation of the creature's origins. It was discovered that the creature was powerful beyond imagining, sometimes in ways difficult to understand. Also, it did not invite close study...

"Attempts at contact proved fruitless. The thing destroyed whatever life it encountered. It began with the higher forms on a planet and moved to the lower; until it had eliminated even the miscroscopic existences.

A planet stripped by the Vom was as thoroughly sterilized as if it had passed through a sun. Conventional weaponry proved useless against it. New machines were tried and offered some hope, but the thing was too clever to be trapped. Several times we appeared to have destroyed it. Always it escaped by avoiding rather than inviting a fight until it had discovered a method of combating each new development we threw at it. Its caution convinced us of its mortality, so we at least knew it could be destroyed....

"Always it grew stronger. At the cost of a great many planes-of-existence, time, and effort, a way was found to contain it on a single planet. The life on that planet was forfeited so that we might protect ourselves."

Peot did not comment on the thoughts that passed through the chamber following that remark.

"This new device prevented it from leaving the planet by its familiar method. We believe it could at one time travel through space on its own, but had clearly forgotten or lost this ability eons ago. After consuming all life on the planet, it shrank rapidly in size and power."

Kitten discovered that her palms were damp. She glanced over at Mal and was mildly surprised to see the freighter-captain rubbing his own against the legs of his coveralls.

"I don't think I like the way your thoughts are leading," said Kingsley.

"It is ,really weakened. So much so that it may now be possible to destroy it forever. To have survived to realize that end would make even the sleep of millennia worthwhile."

"The thing is here, now, on Repler," said Philip. It wasn't a question.

The eyes swiveled to rest on the young engineer. "Yes, that is so." (Something/there/veiling/physical youth/ hiding??/determine/what?/not now/standoff?/more than/ less than/query-query?/silence/silence/ *?*/.).

Those present got only the confirmation.

"Well for Solsake, where? Let's be about rooting out this archaic bugaboo or whatever! The military base at the capitol can-!"

"I have evaluated your thoughts on the matter and those of the two military attaches present," came the thoughts firmly. Both Kitten and Porsupah started. So much for classified information. "The Vom is weakened, true. Enormously so, yet it is still powerful enough so that simple energy devices will not harm it."

"Simple, hell!" snorted Kingsley. "The rectory there mounts energy rifles on an anchor core that-"

"All is relative, my young friend. I know wherewith I say." Kingsley subsided. Maybe, Kitten figured, the certainty in that voice got to the trader. r maybe it was the "young friend."

"I should, however, be glad of some help," Peot continued, perhaps with an eye towards assuaging any feelings of racial impotence. "Yet I fear that such an attempt would but provoke a devastating response on the part of the thing, which I am currently powerless to prevent. Something simple, on the nature of gleaning the central city of all intelligent life. No, it is best to try none such ... yet."

"You did say it might be killed," reminded Mal.

Kitten reflected while observing this by-play that the adaptability of the human wasn't bad by half. Here they were standing and chatting amiably via telepathy with a completely improbable alien, only recently resurrected, about some other unknown and equally outrageous creature from another universe as though everything had been politely arranged by faxpax and when will tea be served, thank you?

"Although immensely powerful by your standards ..."

"Look, how do you so all of a sudden know so much about our standards and such?" said Kingsley, a trifle belligerently. He was doubtless a bit put out that his prize possession had taken over its own introduction.

Peot, however, had no time for idle converse. He began again, patiently.

"Although immensely powerful by your standards, it has degenerated considerably from what it once was. The major portion of the Machine is in synchronous orbit directly above !he Vom's current location.

It will stay that way regardless of how tee creature moves. The Machine is directed and operated from this capsule. Certain repairs to critical functions must be made before any attempt to attack the Vom can be made. As a matter of self-protection and your own safety . . . the Vom grows stronger each day it is unopposed ... these things must be done as soon as possible. Some of the required elements are' rare.

Others have deteriorated, I fear, because their life has been reduced to a point where they will no longer activate the instrumentation they affect. These must be replaced."

"All well and good," said Kingsley, argumentative to the last. "But what guarantee have I that you'll use these no doubt expensive supplies as you say, for the purpose you ,claim? In fact, what guarantee have I that you're even -telling the truth about this fantastic, impregnable boojum of yours? Maybe you're really preparing for some large-scale nastiness of your own, hmmm?"

"So. In the first place," Peat reached out suddenly with a long tentacle and swept up the nearest technician, "I am also not convinced of your intentions towards me. These are immaterial. As stated, I have no wish to harm you. No, do not send for your weapons, Chatham Kingsley. I wish simply to demonstrate that I could have killed everyone here quite easily. War and its arts were the. reason for life among my folk. I knew the location, abilities, and. probable fighting -capability of everyone in this chamber before I opened my eyes. So, a demonstration of good faith on my part."

"Well, that's certainly reassuring," said Kingsley, not at. all reassured. His voice wavered uneasily as the giant stepped easily from its padded capsule, stretched. "My apologies. As many as you want. I accept your story, whole, complete, in tote. Now if you'd be good enough to put my technician down? I think he's fainted."

"I did not mean to harm!" came the alarmed voice.

"No, no, he's fine; it's nowhere near a lethal condition. Just put him down, please. Gently. Yes, that's fine." The towering alien backed away a couple of steps as two of the man's companions bent over him, dividing their attentions between the unconscious tech and the all-too close Pent.